I was travelling in a group of ten cars, from Atlanta Motor Speedway to Pennsylvania. Passing through the Carolinas in the wee hours, the predominant radar seemed to be X-Band. Very unusual.
A friend and I we’re leading the pack, which was travelling. Other vehicles latched onto our group over time, and as we neared Charlotte it seemed like we were running “blocker” for almost 30 cars.
Through scanners, we heard truckers who weren’t too happy with our pace and our parade; they were making a lot of CB noise about it. Surprisingly, we picked up no radio traffic from highway patrollers; only local city stuff. I smelled an up-coming trap, and my friends agreed.
Near a shopping-mall exit, I began to pick up numerous X-band signals. Thinking nothing of it, I continued…until I remembered X is used by cops, too. The car with the other Valentine was getting the same readings.
As I passed by the mall, located just before an exit overpass, some bogeys dropped off, but the Radar Locator was pointing both forward—and flashing—and to the mall alongside. The Bogey Counter read “7”.
I downshifted for engine braking, and called a warning to our group over the two-way (I didn’t want the latched-on crowd to see my brake lights). On the other side of the overpass, at nearly 3:00 am on a Sunday, were five South Carolina State Troopers…a Welcoming Committee just for us.
As we eased into the distance beyond the mall, the Bogey Counter kept a steady “5” and the latched-on crowd got plucked off the road behind us. The troopers knew right where to sit, masked by the mall’s X-band door openers. If not for the Bogey Counter and the Radar Locator, they would have nailed us all.
My personal experiences have made my friends such stern believers in V1 they ask me to bring it along whenever we drive somewhere. Two of them bought a V1 for themselves.
We drivers thank you for a superior product.
James M. Wegielewski