Manufacturer:	Valentine Research, Inc.
Type:	Superheterodyne receiver Superheterodyne receiver In electronics, a superheterodyne receiver uses frequency mixing or heterodyning to convert a received signal to a fixed intermediate frequency, which can be more conveniently processed than the original radio carrier frequency...
Latest Hardware Revision:	Version 1.85 - ESP with TSR, POP2, and Euro Mode
Latest Software Revision:	Version 3.892

The Valentine One Radar Locator is a combined radar detector

Radar detector

A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to detect if their speed is being monitored by police or law enforcement using a radar gun. Most radar detectors are used so the driver can reduce the car's speed before being ticketed for speeding...

 and lidar detector

LIDAR detector

A LIDAR detector or laser detector is a passive device designed to detect the infrared emissions of law enforcement agencies' LIDAR speed detection devices and warn motorists that their speed is being measured....

 designed by Michael Valentine, formerly of Cincinnati Microwave, Inc., and manufactured by Valentine Research, Inc. The detector is notable for its patented warning system, which indicates the number of radar and laser sources or 'bogeys' detected, as well as their relative bearing

Bearing (navigation)

In marine navigation, a bearing is the direction one object is from another object, usually, the direction of an object from one's own vessel. In aircraft navigation, a bearing is the actual compass direction of the forward course of the aircraft...

. This is only possible because of its two radar antenna

Antenna (radio)

An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...

s, a feature that the manufacturer claims unique to the Valentine One.

The Unit & Display

The outer case of the main unit is composed of magnesium and is designed to prevent electrical interference from other devices. Its metal construction is intended to make the device more durable than a conventional plastic case. On the front of the unit, there is a display which contains a single decimal readout which shows how many radar sources or 'bogeys' the unit is receiving. There are four vertically aligned LED

LEd

LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....

's that indicate which band of radar the unit is receiving. The detector can receive the following signals and bands:

• Laser (820 - 950 nm)
• Ka band
  Ka band
  The Ka band covers the frequencies of 26.5–40 GHz. The Ka band is part of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. This symbol refers to "K-above" — in other words, the band directly above the K-band...
  
   (33.400 - 36.000 GHz
  Hertz
  The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
  
  )
• K band
  K band
  K band designates certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in either the microwave domain or in the infrared domain. The microwave K bands are used primarily for radar and satellite communications while the infrared K band is used for astronomical observations.-NATO K band:The NATO K band...
  
   (24.050 - 24.250 GHz
  Hertz
  The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
  
  )
• X band
  X band
  The X band is a segment of the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of X band is rather indefinitely set at approximately 7.0 to 11.2 gigahertz . In radar engineering, the frequency range is specified...
  
   (10.500 - 10.550 GHz
  Hertz
  The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
  
  )
• Ku band
  Ku band
  The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
  
   (13.400 - 13.500 GHz
  Hertz
  The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
  
  ) (The unit does not have a dedicated LED for Ku-Band)

At the bottom of the display are eight horizontally aligned LEDs that indicate the strength of the radar signal the unit is receiving. As the radar signal intensifies (e.g., when closing the distance to the radar source), the LEDs gradually illuminate from left to right until all eight LEDs are lit, thus warning that the radar threat is in close proximity. Located in the center of the display is a red circle behind which is the rear-facing infra-red diode used for laser detection. To the left of the display is a set of knobs. The main, big, knob is used to power on and off the unit and to set the main volume for the unit; the smaller control knob is used to set the auto-muting volume. If set to 100% the auto-muting volume will be the same as the main volume. To the right of the display is where the rear-facing radar horn (antenna

Antenna (radio)

An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...

) is located.

The main knob also allows users to enter the custom programming menu, not mentioned in the user's manual. Users can disable or enable any radar band of their choice, including laser, set muting options for K-band radar, enable extra sensitivity for Ka-band, enable POP radar detection, activate European radar modes among other options.

Users who wish to keep a low profile, can opt for the concealed display unit sold by Valentine Research directly on their website. Together with hard wiring the device to the vehicle fuse box (which eliminates the traditional power cord throughout the vehicle cabin) a stealth installation is achieved. The main unit still receives and process all signals, but the display is projected in the concealed display mounted discretely anywhere in the vehicle interior. This helps, especially at night so others can not see the readout other than the driver. Some users even elect to install a kill switch so they can shut off the device without accessing the main unit.

Each Valentine 1 unit has a serial # on the back of the unit. Users who wish to purchase a used unit, should obtain the serial # from the seller and contact Valentine Research prior to purchase, to make sure the unit is not stolen. Valentine Research will not service or repair stolen units. Once a used unit is purchased, the new owner should contact Valentine 1 to change the ownership information over to his/her name.

Valentine 1 also makes a custom carry case, which is sold separately. The case is designed to help owners protect their investment and take the unit with them in order to avoid theft. Not only does the case allow the user to take the unit with them, but it can be used to stow the unit out of direct sunlight/heat when not in use. The user should not keep the unit in contact with direct sunlight for a long period because the internal components can be damaged resulting to the unit being out of tune.

Tuning of the unit is done by Valentine Research and the user must pay shipping to and from the company plus the tune cost of $45 USD. Some common signs of a unit out of tune is missing bands/certain bands not alerting at all even though they are active and not disabled.

The Valentine 1 radar detection capabilities have proven to be very successful. The device demonstrated the ability to detect radar as far as 5–7 miles in open terrains, around roadway bends and sometimes over hills.

Patents

Valentine Research, Inc. has patented many of the designs and attributes found on its Valentine One Radar Locator. Listed below are the patent numbers under which the device is manufactured.

• 7,061,423
• 6,175,324
• 5,917,441
• 5,900,832
• 5,856,801
• 5,852,417
• 5,300,932
• 5,250,951
• 5,206,651
• 5,164,729
• 5,151,701
• 5,146,226
• 5,125,110
• 5,116,248
• 5,083,129
• 5,068,663
• 5,020,754
• 4,994,775
• 4,973,925
• 4,878,061
• 4,631,542
• D338,841

Software Versions

The following are the software versions in each hardware version, 1.85, 1.8, 1.7 and 1.6 (Starting with the latest)

Hardware Version 1.85:

• 3.892
• 3.891

Hardware Version 1.8:

• 3.873
• 3.872
• 3.871
• 3.868
• 3.864
• 3.863
• 3.861
• 3.858
• 3.857
• 3.851
• 3.826
• 3.825
• 3.824
• 3.821
• 3.819
• 3.818
• 3.817
• 3.816
• 3.813
• 3.812
• 3.802
• 3.789
• 3.619

Hardware Version 1.7:

• 2.909
• 2.879
• 2.869
• 2.849
• 2.695
• 2.693
• 2.691
• 2.690
• 2.680
• 2.391

Hardware Version 1.6:

• 1.36