Valentine 1 Gen 2: Hands-on First Look

Valentine Research has just started shipping the new Valentine One Gen 2 ($499). This is a huge update to the legendary Valentine One. The new V1 Gen 2 includes many hardware and software improvements.

Update May 2020: The new V1 has been out for two months and you can now read my in-depth Valentine 1 Gen2 review.

V1 Gen 2 detecting Ka ahead

VR is planning on officially announcing it on their website next week and detailing all of the changes, but pre-orders have started shipping this week. Here’s our first look at the brand new Valentine 1.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2020/03/valentine-1-gen-2-hands-on-first-look/

Radenso Theia vs. the Spectre Elite Radar Detector Detector

Radar detector detectors like the Spectre Elite are designed specifically to detect radar detectors. Ever wondered how RDD’s work? Will Theia be undetectable to RDD’s?

Radenso just published an amazing video going over RDD’s. In this video, they explain exactly how radar detector detectors work and then gave us a look at what we can expect with their upcoming radar detector, Theia.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2020/02/radenso-theia-vs-spectre-rdd/

Uniden R7 firmware 1.29: Lots of New Changes

Uniden has just released firmware 1.29 (download for Windowsdownload for Mac) for the Uniden R7 radar detector (purchase here). This update brings a long list of changes that Uniden has been working on the past months including many features specifically requested by enthusiasts.

Uniden R7 firmware 1.29

Uniden R7 running fw 1.29

This firmware update improves MRCD detection range, allows you to dial back the sensitivity of the rear antenna, makes GPS lockouts safer, and includes a bunch of small changes and bug fixes.

Here are all the changes from 1.24 to 1.29, along with my notes about the changes.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2020/01/uniden-r7-firmware-1-29-lots-of-new-changes/

Will We See a New Valentine One?

Update: As of March 2020, the new V1 Gen 2 has started shipping out to those who’ve preordered. More info coming soon!

Since March of 2019, the Valentine One has been out of stock on VR’s website.

Valentine One out of stock

There’s been endless discussion and speculation on the forums ever since. You guys have been regularly asking what the latest news is so let’s go over what we know.

Is Valentine coming out with a new detector? Will it be the same or will there be changes? What will the changes be? When will the detector come out? What’s taking so long? Is Valentine going out of business?

I just called them up again this morning and I’ve done that several times over the months (I have a V1 on pre-order for as soon as it becomes available again) and many others have called VR for updates and posted their findings on RDF too. Here’s the latest news on what’s going on with Valentine:

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2020/01/will-we-see-a-new-valentine-one/

Radenso Pro M: New Alert Tones with Firmware US19

Radenso has released firmware US19 for the Pro M which adds new alert tones for the different radar and laser alerts.

Here’s a quick demo of the 15 different alert tones. They’re individually selectable for X, K, Ka, MRCD, MRCT, Gatso, & Laser.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the default tones for K and Ka so it’s nice to have some new options.

I’m still experimenting to see which ones I like best. I’m also finding it helpful to enable the Voice to announce different radar bands while I try out and learn the new tones.

Which ones are your favorites?

You can download US19 here.

Full discussion about US19 available here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2020/01/radenso-pro-m-new-alert-tones-with-firmware-us19/

Why I Don’t Recommend K40 Radar Detectors or Laser Defusers

K40 products are generally considered among enthusiasts to be overpriced underperformers. There are far better options available.

After purchasing and testing both their RL360di radar detector and the Defuser Optix laser jammer against the competition, I found them both to be bottom of the barrel performers. Once I then had a chance to take a look at the internals, I was surprised at what I saw and suddenly everything started to make sense…

K40 RL360di components

Brand new K40 RL360di radar detector ready to be installed for testing

Here’s a more detailed discussion about K40 and why I do not personally run or recommend their current products. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2020/01/why-i-dont-recommend-k40-radar-detectors-or-laser-defusers/

Genevo Max Overview

Genevo recently released their new Genevo Max radar detector (€ 799). While I generally don’t cover European detectors that aren’t available in North America, the Max introduces some unique new features that we haven’t seen before in other radar detectors so I think it’s worth taking a closer look.

The new Max is an evolution of the Genevo One M (modified and sold in the US as the Radenso Pro M) with a new case and design, upgraded mount, plus a new motion sensor allowing you to mute the detector by waving your hand in front of it.

Genevo Max

Genevo Max

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2019/12/genevo-max-overview/

Radenso RC M: Bug Fixes with Firmware 24

Radenso just released firmware 24 for the Radenso RC M radar detector.

Radenso RC M

FW24 is a minor update that fixes a few bugs with the detector:

  • KA mute (some couldn’t mute certain KA alerts)
  • Lockout mute (some units didn’t mute a locked out alert)
  • Update error fix (Some had issues updating the firmware. They were locked out with “ERR” on the display.)

Note: If you happen to update and see ERR with this latest firmware (most people are), Radenso recommends you try updating a second time. The screen will be blank and won’t appear to be powered on, but give it some time with the files on the USB drive and it should begin to update. Click here for support with this update.

Download Firmware 24 here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2019/12/radenso-rc-m-bug-fixes-with-firmware-24/

Uniden R3 vs. Uniden DFR9: Best Radar Detector Under $300?

The Uniden R3 and Uniden DFR9 are both two great radar detectors. Both offer good performance, helpful false alert filtering, and important GPS features like redlight camera alerts and manual GPS lockouts. The R3 is the more popular choice due to its extreme range and additional features, but the DFR9 is a little bit more affordable and will also work well on your windshield.

Uniden R3 and Uniden DFR9

Uniden R3 (left) and Uniden DFR9 (right)

Comparing the two, here are the main advantages of each detector:

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2019/12/uniden-r3-vs-uniden-dfr9-best-radar-detector-under-300/

Vortex Radar’s 2019 Holiday Giveaway

Update Jan 1, 2020: The winners have all been randomly drawn and selected! See if your name is listed below in the list of prizes. All winners have been now been contacted via email so you can claim your prizes. Thank you and welcome to 2020!

Time for one of my favorite parts of the year! Time to give away a bunch of fun prizes! Just like last year, we’ve got a thousands of dollars worth of radar detectors and dash cameras to give away to you guys. 🙂

Giveaway Prizes:

Total value: $3,370 Winners will be randomly selected and announced mid-day on Jan 1, 2020.

Enter Now:

Vortex Radar’s 2019 Holiday Giveaway Thank you to everyone who helped supply prizes! Happy Holidays and good luck! 🙂

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2019/12/vortex-radar-2019-holiday-giveaway/

Load more