V1 Moments

I drive an BMW M5. I love it. The only problem with driving an M5 is that everyone who pulls up next to you wants to race, maybe just to see how fast I can pull away. The other night I was cruising down a local boulevard, windows down, enjoying the weather. A guy pulls … continued

Outside of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State sits a little town called Roy. Roy has a population of 900 and an embarrassment of law-enforcement riches. The State Patrol uses KA band but the Pierce County sheriffs Roy’s local enforcers use the old K band. What makes Roy difficult is the use of flashing K-band … continued

I had a V1 back in the early 2000s. Loved it, but life changed and it got lost in a move. Fast forward to now; I bought a Porsche 911, so it’s V1 time again. Road-trip time, too. Cruising up the freeway, I start getting some seemingly random Ka hits. Too random to take seriously, … continued

As a retired LEO, I knew exactly what radar detector to recommend when my son asked my advice. “V1, hands down.” I explained that all he was reading about the others having GPS was actually to their disadvantage. All LEOs know how to play those detectors; we’ll set up in an area known to be … continued

I’m driving home. For weeks there’s been a “your-speed-is” trailer set up after a bend in the road. V1 always reads it as a K-band alert, one on the Bogey Counter, and I had gotten used to the brap sound as I neared home. Now here’s where V1 steps to the front of the pack. This time, … continued

May 1st was Law Day in Arizona, and I was on my way to hear a judge deliver a speech on the county courthouse steps. It was a blue-sky day, and light traffic, just one car oncoming over the crest of the next hill. Unfortunately, that one car was an unmarked unit of the Arizona … continued

I live in Fountain Hills, a small desert town off the northeast edge of Scottsdale, Arizona. Besides having a 29-acre lake with a fountain that briefly jets water high in the sky every hour (9am to 9pm), Fountain Hills has another distinction—it’s an International Dark Sky Community. The sky is dark and so are the … continued

My 2008 V1 was freaking out, apparently maddened by the junky K-band signals from nanny warning systems intended to keep drivers from caroming off each other. So I sent it in for an upgrade. The good news: the turn-around was an amazingly-short five days. The bad news: on day three I got pulled over for … continued

I don’t leave home without my V1, so the trip to the Sunshine State from Tennessee was no different. V1 was working like a charm … wait, I didn’t tell you I hadn’t upgraded yet. I was just lazy and I didn’t want to spend the money, so I would just hit “Mute” on all … continued

About six years ago I purchased a V1 and it worked better than I ever expected, but within the last few years it would constantly sound alerts. It got to the point of being annoying, so I just parked it, put it away for about a year. Last month I sent it in for an … continued