Passport 9500 ix radar detector test

I've got the Passport ix and love it. Can't wait to hear your reviews. I'm completely satisfied with the unit. It's saved me more than a handful of times.

 

I used to have the Valentine 1 (technically still do, just don't use it anymore) and now have the 9500ci.
Valentine was great, but my 9500ci is simply better.

 

Hi, I had the same curiosity and also bought the 9500 ix.
Unfortunately I was extremely unhappy with it and the main feature I bought it for: the ability to use the gps to filter out the non-police radar alarms, just did not work as advertised.
I could not get rid of it fast enough and bought another V-1.

 

Very interesting. I bought my 9500ix for the same reason but it looks like I am at the other end. I have been extremely happy with its ability to filter out non-police radar alerts.

 

I am confused as to how the GPS feature could not work. It works perfectly for me. If I drive by a known false alarm, I hit the mute button twice to mark it. It will also learn false alarms on its own, not sure of how many passes you have to make but I see it blocking locations on its own as well.

How had your experience been different?

I like this detector much better than the V1 for its GPS feature. Only issue is the laser detector gives off some false alarms if it is used in conjuction with the laser shifter.

 

I've had a V1 for a couple years now and I swear by it, but the GPS feature Passports have has always intrigued me.

 

Very interesting. I am in the market for a new unit, and have always been turned off by the size of the V1 unit.

 

Yes, that would be great. The GPS learning is an attractive feature of the Passport that makes a lot of sense to me.

 

+1. Love the gps and it works perfectly.

 

I’ve had my 9500 ix for almost two months.
GPS receptions seem to be in question in certain cars.
For instance Rovers come with electric front window defrost, this feature is interfering with the GPS signal. I don’t know how many other makes out there use electronic front window defroster but 9500xi is somewhat useless in a Rover. (False alarms, no red light camera warning, etc.)
Two week after purchasing my 9500ix, my unit split open in half. The top cover portion with the suctions cups stayed intact to my windshield while the bottom half with all the guts was dangling off a pair of wires. My guess is the plastic casing got too hot and just let go.
Otherwise 9500xi has been great, already saved me once that I know I would have been clocked over the speed limit.

 

The V1 is shorter but wider. In use, the length disappears against the angle of the windshield so the only real size issue you'll notice when installed is the width of the front that faces the driver.

By this measure, the Escort is signifactly slimmer, especially when considering the tapered shape it has. By contrast, the Valentine seems wider than it is as the front edge extends even wider than the body.

 

Just bought the IX, too.
Should be receiving it in a few days; can't wait.

 

I have a V1, really don't like it. I have a 9500CI remote detector in my S550 and I love it except I had to turn off one of the radar bands because the S550 cruise control uses the same radar frequency to keep me from running into the guy in front of me. So I am not really totally protected. The laser shifter sometimes fires from sunlight ... that is fine with me. The GPS quickly blocks grocery stores and the like that never move. The speed camera and stop light camera warning is very cool and works very well in Toledo, Ohio.

I was going down the Ohio turnpike one day, limit is 65, I was doing about 73, a guy passed me doing at least 85 or more, just as he was passing me it went off with a Ohio highway partol cruiser about 800 feet ahead using his laser gun. My 9500CI told me it was shifting and the patrolman didn't bother either of us. Pretty amazing as the guy next to me was very obviously going way over the speed limit.

I would assume tht the 9500 ix stop light warning would be just as good.

 

I'm really pretty illiterate regarding all the techno details of detectors.
What does "shifting" mean in this context?

 

I used to send mine [all 3] back to company on a regular basis on the LASER detection going off. Decided to just live with it...seems, here in CA, especially on foggy mornings, the low light somehow trips the LASER once in a while or some brat is flashing me, which I doubt.

One thing I do, Ferraris have constant power on, is unplug them when not in use during the commute day: seems the sun just doesn't help.

Like the Passport, and good to hear the positive on the new unit, which been thinking of...just waiting for the one of the three to die for an excuse to run out and buy one..

d@mn things won't die.

 

You guys speed????

Anyway, doens't someone make a GPS only unit that knows existing fixed radar / photo locations, and you can update it via the web or manually. I would use that in conjuntion with the V-1, simply the best in my experience.

 

Are you talking about this:
http://www.radarbusters.com/photo-radar/gps-speed-camera-detectors/cheetahgpsmirrorwithradardetectorinterface.cfm

 

Is there a way for people in other cars to set off your radar alarm? Sometimes I notice that I'll pass someone, my alarm will go off but there is no businesses, police, illuminated signs around that would trigger the detector, but it goes off.

Also on 276 in Phila the other day my detector went off and stayed chirping until I got off that road. Valentine 1 by the way.

Thanks.

 

Size (from smallest to largest):

Valentine One -> 16.20 cu. in.
Bel RX65 Pro -> 16.33 cu. in.
Bel STi Driver-> 16.33 cu. in.
Escort 8500 X50 -> 18.95 cu. in.
Escort 9500i -> 21.72 cu. in.


Weight (from lightest to heaviest):

Valentine One -> 181.5g (6.40 ounces)
Bel RX65 Pro -> 236.6g (8.35 ounces)
Escort 8500 X50 -> 253.7g (8.95 ounces)
Escort 9500i -> 269.2g (9.49 ounces)
Bel STi Driver -> 291.6g (10.29 ounces)


The Escort 9500i is the largest in size and the Beltronics STi Driver is the heaviest. The Valentine One is the smallest and lightest radar detector of the top five radar detectors made today.

 

The Valentine One is more sensitive to radar and laser than the Escort 9500i or Escort 9500ix.

http://guysoflidar.com/august-2007/radar-detector-test.html

http://guysoflidar.com/july-2007/off-axis-radar-detector-test.html

http://www.laserveil.com/laser/detectors/reviews-tests-2009/


The TrueLock feature on the Escort 9500i and Escort 9500ix is fundamentally flawed and it could result in a speeding ticket. The Escort 9500i and Escort 9500ix supposedly break K band down into 8 segments so when you TrueLock a K band false from a door opener, you have blocked 12.5% of K band that is shot in that particular segment in that 1/2 mile area. That is if you only block one door opener but most places have multiple door openers all operating in different segments of K band.

If you have 4 door openers that are in different segments, you will have blocked 50% of K band radar that is shot in that area regardless of whether it is from a door opener or a cop shooting K band within that 1/2 mile area. You will not receive an alert and you will receive a ticket if you are speeding. You should also be aware that cheap door openers suffer from frequency drift which occurs with age and heat which will change the actual frequency that it emits. After time, your Escort will think it is a new segment in K band and you will TrueLock another block of K band out. The only time the Escort will definitely alert in a TrueLocked area is if a cop is shooting Ka band because the Escort 9500i and Escort 9500ix will always alert to Ka band in a TrueLocked area.


Videos showing you why TrueLock = TrueFail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxy7gGG-JlI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZnmUd8ysRc

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5168459946755705499&ei=-52USv76MJrMrQLP7enJCQ&q=truelock&hl=en


Read what this Escort 9500ix user had to say about the GPS TrueLock feature. His Escort 9500ix with TrueLock has blocked out actual police radar 4 out of 6 times when he was in a TrueLock area which is a 66.66% failure rate and a 33.33% success rate.

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/escort/38917-truelock-locked-out-leo-today.html

"I was driving a stretch of road that used to have two K band alerts in less than a mile. Now thanks to trulock, that stretch of road has been quiet for me.

But today it was too quiet. I was almost dead center between the two false alarm locations and noticed my satellite icon was still spinning. (It usually stops for a while in between the two locations.)

I reached up and hit the GPS button to disable GPS features and my ix instantly starts freaking out on K-band. (Very strong signal)

Sure enough, there is a LEO about a block ahead of me waiting to make a u-turn. He made the u-turn and took a side street shortly thereafter. As soon as he turned down the side street the K-band alert stopped and a few seconds after that, the CVS sounded a weak K-band alert as expected.

********As of 1/27/09 My 9500ix has "locked out" 4 LEOs (BAD) and alerted to two K-band LEO's in locked-out locations*************"
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