Can those of you who have put radar detectors in could you share your recommendations
I've got a 9500i (dash mount), years old, it has served me well plenty of times. The 9500ci is really nice for a custom install. V1 has not innovated to a gps capable platform yet, so you will get a lot of false positives without being able to lock them out. They are "chatty" detectors. Escort's newest Max 360 also has directional arrows like the V1, but the turn off for me with that one is the arrow "delay" which the V1 does not have. If I was in the market, though, I would probably get the Max 360. You will also get false positives with all detectors, from cars with lane avoidance systems built into their side-view mirrors. Escort claims the Max360 is better tuned to ignore them, but they still happen. Having laser detection is nice, but it's not going to give you any advanced warning. Once your laser detection goes off, they have your speed. My ideal setup would be a Max360 for detection, and Anti-Laser Priority for Laser Jamming. One day....
Escort: Have one for each car. The 456 came with front/back active/passive items that we ripped out for many reasons and went with the passive item. has saved us such in knowing what was obvious, but does NOT save one from LIDAR and/or LASER types IMO. Ka easy peasy and handy to make one check their speed to get below the posted limit. but will not save one whom is abusive and/or being, uh, 'not to bright' don't care for those distracting arrows others tout. honestly that is way too much effort IMO
OK, I have been a V1 owner for years, but in a moment of curiosity bought the Passport 360 recently. I really like it, it seems less fussy about signals I don't need to know about, and I like the bluetooth connection to the phone. While I wasn't "really" speeding on my last trip north on I-5 through the desert it did let me know the location of several radars in time to avoid conversations. Traffic was moving around 90MPH and that was good enough that day. I like it and will gradually replace the V1's. Malcolm
I looked into this last summer when I picked up my California. Consensus was the 9500 for the radar and the ALP for the laser, as they seem to be most responsive to updates for the new laser units coming out. However, it's an expensive proposition -- especially given the Ferrari tax -- and as a longtime Valentine One user I was not comfortable without the arrows. But the V1 was driving me nuts with the constant chatter. I picked up a Max 360 when they first came out. It does lag when you pass the radar source. But if you put it in expert mode where you can see the graphs for the front and rear antenna you can get a better idea of what you are facing. It's not as well made as the Valentine One. And it's crazy expensive. But the GPS function does work -- most of the time. It seems to forget certain fixed radar locations in my area or suddenly blast a full alert when I'm right on top of something that it had encountered before. The one thing it does better than the Valentine is identify what kind of radar is in the area by the color of the arrows -- blue is K band, so could be a nearby store or false from a car, red is Ka band and is always the law (around here). Hoping Valentine will finally update and add GPS but no idea when Escort's patent runs out. A perfect example of why you become reliant on the arrows happened just now ... I did a quick drive through my favorite back roads, which ends with a short run on the interstate back home. There is a nice, downhill onramp with a few sweeping curves and then a nice straightaway onto the interstate, where traffic is generally light. Great place to open up the car a little. Tonight I got a beep and the behind arrow lit up red as I rounded the last sweeper. I eased off and entered the highway at a sedate 55 mph and there was a state trooper running radar in an SUV bulling his way up the fast lane about a quarter mile back. I knew he was going to be there, I knew he was approaching from behind and I knew it was a legit threat, all at a glance. The other nice thing is I have two mounts and cords so can just grab the detector out of the Ferrari and use it on the daily driver.
K40, combo'd with scramblers and jammers is the way to go. My dad had a 928s4 which with its rounded edges was impervious to radar detection. Odd but true.
I have a 9500ix on my daily and a Max 360 I use between my F cars. I prefer the 360 for the arrows and I find that it has less false alerts than the 9500ix. I'll probably trade it in for another 360 soon
In a quick search I learned that the speed detection equipments used in the USA are different from the ones of the EU which means that any positive things I can say about my Valentine one (V1european tuned) probably only apply to our area context. Nonetheless and in case someone is curious to know how things operate in the E.U. I'll just make a brief description. In Europe in the field of speed detection movable or fixed radars the star of the show is a Swiss machine called "Multanova". "However, the power output of the Multanova is only 0.5 mW where a typical police radar gun’s output is 20 to 40 mW. Also the radar beam is angled at 22 degrees across the roadway and often NOT in the direction of approaching traffic. Another feature of the Multanova is that the beam is polarized vertically, rather than horizontally (as most police radar guns), making it even more difficult for even the best radar detector to detect" According to an american specialist in traffic radars "to even have a fighting chance at detecting the Multanova type of radars camera with any type of advanced warning you will need at least an Escort 8500 or Bel RX65, the detectors that have fared the best have been the Escort Redline and the Beltronic STi" and he continuous " 1 tip is something I learned from our friends in the UK and Holland and that was to tilt my detector at a right angle, which increased the detection range by as much as 50%". The Multanovas are placed in different spots and without notice on all the motorways and roads were I drive and there is also another form of speed control used with cameras installed on cars approaching from behind. Probably there are much more sophisticated radar detectors but I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with my V1 (european version) because it detects always in advance any Multanova radar as well as police cars with cameras coming from behind.
Interesting, as recent "stealth" designs on aircraft and ships have been just the opposite. They feature sharp angles to break up the radar signature and scatter any return signals. Round objects guarantee a return because at least one point will be at 90 degrees to the receiver. F117s, for example, are angular, not rounded. Of course a flat, upright grill, as you might find on a Rolls Royce, presents a very large return signature.
Your analysis is correct. Round things are bad, flat things are good unless they just happen to point directly back to the radar but that very seldom can happen. 32 years in the USAF in the Electronic Warfare maintenance field. I've had three 928's, got a radar ticket one time. None so far in 3 Cali's and 2 FF's. Escort all the way. I bought a V once, sold it a month later, it was terrible.
Agreed and observed but, the 928 was released way before then and the target is way narrower. Sharp angled profiles that you mention are prevelant today in those machines and provides for even a smaller target. Radar has to find a broad perpendicular angle to bounce back. No matter how sophisticated the cat and mouse game, the key is simply that fundamental. So now we must make angled body work to the clearance markers.
I would rec getting the Betronics CI radar unit (it's the exact same as the escort Radar detection) but comes without the laser blocking. I would then get the AL priority laser blockers. It integrates well with the radar unit and is FAR superior in blocking laser guns even the newer Dragon guns many police are moving towards ((the escort unit fails badly with these guns)) Combining the two brands is far superior and about the same cost of product/install. I used to do the escort 9500 and now go this route.
I did the Passport 9500 with radar/laser/laser diffuser a few years ago. I was tempted to get the module that shows all the info on one of the dash gauges but was concerned about the new car warranty so I ended up getting the GPS speed and laser display on the bottom of the rear view mirror - works well and the overall system works well. Had a V1 for years and loved the directional arrows but the new Passport 360 sounds like it is worth checking out. Also, I had the installer put in a tiny LED on the top of the steering column to alert me to any warning -- with the roof down, blasting the engine I couldn't reliably hear the warning and in sunlight, the digital display on the mirror may go unnoticed.
Does anyone have any images of the install they can post? Be good to see a couple of Escort Max Ci's installed into a porto.
I have the V1 and simply used the programming guide to eliminate a lot of bandwidth that isn't in use here in CA. Basically Ka and Laser is all re really have to deal with. With that done, all my false alarms vanished but I still pick up the CHP and other agencies when they are using their guns.
V1 there is no substitute for the arrows. If a sniper is shooting at you...don't you want to know from which direction they are shooting?
That's the Passport 9500ci. It's a good system and you can upgrade the database for red light cameras and speed traps. You can also programthe band segmentsto reduce false alerts...look for a USB connector under the dash somewhere and check put the Escort forums for instructions. Sent from my Galaxy
