Michael Valentine, Engineer and Radar Detector Pioneer, Has Died at Age 74

If your radar detector has ever alerted you to an upcoming speed trap while cruising on a road trip, you probably owe Michael Valentine some thanks. Valentine, an amateur radio enthusiast and University of Cincinnati alum with a degree in electrical engineering, co-founded Cincinnati Microwave in 1976 and began marketing the Escort Radar Warning Receiver. In 1992, with his wife, Peg, he founded another radar detector company, Valentine Research. He passed away on September 19 and is survived by his wife of 51 years, two daughters, and three grandchildren.

Although law enforcement had a head start, Valentine soon offered consumers products that countered the latest speed-detecting equipment used by officers in the field. Hagerty’s Steven Cole Smith has experienced both sides of the arms race. “As a former law enforcement officer, and as a longtime user of radar detectors—and none were better than the Valentine One—it was interesting to watch the slow-motion tennis match: You, radar and laser manufacturer, serve up a new product, and the detector industry, who usually knew what the law enforcement people were doing before they did, would return the serve with a new consumer product,” said Smith. “If anyone was able to stay ahead of the curve, it was Mike Valentine, and he will be missed by speeders everywhere.”

Valentine was a gifted inventor and a generous philanthropist, giving back to the the amateur radio community and also the University of Cincinnati, which honored him last year with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Valentine was also a generous sponsor of Hagerty video productions, which enabled some of our more memorable shoots. Host Jason Cammisa paid his respects via Instagram.

We encourage you to take a drive in honor of Valentine, and instead of a moment of silence, leave your detector unmuted. That’s probably what he would have wanted.