Passport Radar Detector Advice

I used to get them installed professionally but every time I sold the car I couldn't take it with me.

Save money and just get the portable

 

Waze App works better for than any radar detector I've ever owned.

 

If I were in the market for a unit, I'd be buying the new Escort 360 Max with the arrows. Since valentines patent has expired, you get the directional arrows. That was the sole reason I have a couple of V1's in various cars.
Arrows, the latest technology and no clunkiness.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

I can't speak to the newer Escort/Passport models, but I have the 9500ci in three cars and much prefer the built-in solution over the windshield or visor alternative, especially with a convertible. (I also have a 9500xi in a SWC Corvette.) Depending on your audio gear, the 9500ci can mute your music during an alert, which is nice. If you decide to go with a built-in, I'd suggest that you take a close look at the new K40. So many cars nowadays are using K-band radar in connection with cruise control systems that it's become annoying. I'm told that the K40 can be user programmed to ignore specific frequencies within each band.

 

I had a 9500ci installed in my 12C and it's been great. Not nearly as many annoying false alarms as the V1's I have in my other cars. I like the GPS I always had V1's wired into a keyed ignition switch. I like the integration of GPS with a database of known speed cameras. Thumbs up! Best detector I've ever had.

 

I have the same unit installed in my 430. Many false alarms even with laser shifting. Annoys the #$%& out of me. Any issues with yours?

 

I do not know where you live but in San Diego people are not very proactive feeding the waze with information so Don't rely on the waze only.
I use a passport 9500ix in between the rear view mirror and the passenger sun visor l, and is hardwired to the ignition through the interior light.
I would get the new max360 with arrows so you are not longer guessing




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I had a Valentine One for years and years, bought the Max 360 when it came out in October. I wish I could say it was a great detector but the arrows don't work nearly as well as they do in the Valentine One. There is a real lag in the change between front, side and rear when you are passing the radar source ... like 5-6 seconds when the patrol car is clearly visible, so if it's an unmarked car or in traffic going the other way there is really no confidence at all in locating where it's at. The V1 was always instantaneous, when you passed it showed it right away so I had a lot more faith in that. Also, the 360 will indicate forward with increasing strength and then sometimes never indicate side or rear. It seems like the rear antenna is either too small or not sensitive enough to give an accurate indication. I have had the same issues in my Ferrari and in an Audi Allroad with plenty of glass in the back so I don't think it's a placement issue.

The 360 is designed to lock out repeated fixed false alerts after 3 passes but I have also found this does not work quite as well as advertised ... I still get false alerts from the same locations even though in the past it has indicated "stored" on the display. Occasionally it will be quiet and then suddenly erupt in a burst of 100 percent alert when I'm passing some fixed traffic signs on the highway or on a local bridge that have long been stored as falses.

I feel like the technology is sort of half-baked in these. Yes, it does not false as much as the V1 but it's not quite doing what they are charging a heck of a lot of money for. The quality of the unit is not very high, either, I've had a mount fail, the silver painted finish on the buttons is already wearing off even though I never touch the buttons, the screen itself has developed some white lines that look like cracks, the MPH indication works when it feels like it, it it has trouble connecting bluetooth to the app sometimes ... and, to top it off, months later they still have not updated the app for the Mac to update the firmware which may address some of these issues. The app will work on the Mac for the older Max but not the 360 Max.

I wish Valentine would come out with something better.

 

I am installing Stinger radar detector system with Priority "ALP" interceptors,
It's very expensive but it's the best available today!
I have the 9500ci in a couple of cars, the K-band drives me nuts, too sensitive to Audis,
distronic, lane warning and other electronic assist technology in today's cars.

 

I found this video online
Pretty interesting and I am wondering if I will see more Ferraris on the right lane of the freeway
http://youtu.be/75Swz1cGLs8

For the ones that use Waze, it works if other people feeds the system with information, and Escort LIve works the same way, but I am wondering if Escort Live reports alerts recorded by other radar detectors even if the driver didn't provide the feedback
Like some kind of a "soft" alert and once the alert has been confirmed and the other driver enter information then it is a "hard" alert




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Disable the K (and also x)
I have never seen a cop using K band, only the stationary things that read "your speed is..."



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Ok, I will try that too!

Thanks

 

I've used the (portable) 9500xi for years as I can only drive one car at a time. No, it doesn't have the Valentine's arrows but for me it makes no difference. If it goes off I slow down. What does it matter which direction it came from?

Waze doesn't help much if a patrol car is moving - even if the info is only two minutes old.

 

On a second thought you might want to leave the K band on
I have never seen a cop using K band (even though California is listed as using K band) but in the website it says Massachusetts uses rear facing K band
So better be safe than sorry
http://www.rdforum.org/wiki/index.php?title=RDF_Geographical_Survey


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I just mailed off my Valentine One to the factory for an upgrade to reduce the false K-band signals--which is my only complaint. It's almost 3-years old--new ones already have the upgrade. The Valentine One and Waze combination is very good--many saves!

 

Here on the San Francisco peninsula the county sheriffs use K band. So do those bulls*&t accident avoidance systems that are about to become mandatory.

 

Are you talking about the newer systems that make the cars brake by themselves?
So they are going to be mandatory for new models, I think that is a good thing
But Also a lot more of false K band alerts
I used my radar detector for so many years with only the X band disabled because just in case some country side cop was still using K band
But I got more and more false alarms on the freeway from Audis, Mercedes and other cars, and never from a cop, so now I am a way happier person after I disabled the K band.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Distance maintainence,lane centering,automatic braking,etc. Escort-the brand I use-is trying to figure out how to distinguish between these systems and cop K-band radar.

 

I have the passport portable, have three of them. I upgraded from the previous passport portable, 85something. They work great in the lower mainland and Fraser valley. Most of the radar here is via roaming in an unmarked unit with their KA on. Seldom see them using laser here. They do sometimes in school zones. Area's patrolled by the RCMP, they have a variety of unmarked non common police vehicles, everything from a Range Rover Sport to Ford F150 trucks. RCMP still sometimes use K to get people with radar detectors.

Neighboring Washington State is pretty much the same. Except they don't have as many stealth police cars. Instead of laser, they usually do aircraft on the highways.

Net result. One speeding ticket in WA, via aircraft. Never had a speeding ticket in Canada, ever!

 

Is this the 9500ci?

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Inside the front grills I can see some jammers and also some stuff in the back inside the rear bumper grills, I’m just wondering if this system still works good as I think it was installed sometime ago. Hoping you guys say it still works and is usable

 

need a bigger pic to be sure. It *might* be the newer max, which is worlds better than than the 9500 (which you do not want to buy in this day and age). I'd find out if its 9500 or max. The readout is the pic you need a close up of. (I think the button module is more or less similar, but the readout changed a lot from 9500 to max)

I bought a car with 9500 installed (with laser jammers) 2 years ago and it was "meh". I had my local installer move the readout location for me and they were like "you really need to throw that out and get the max for $3500". Umm, no thanks. So, it sorts works (its not bad, but a lot of blind spot monitoring falses). I turned it off and used my V1 when I wanted max range on the open roads and basically just avoided speeding around town.

The lastest stuff (V1 G2 and Max360C and Uniden R7) are worlds better than the 9500 (I had dash mount 9500 also and got rid of both the built in and the dash mount last year).

Btw - having the readout that low is stupid. I had to have mine moved up to right below the tachometer so that it was actually someplace one could read it. This car needs the same.

 

The 9500 and older model detectors will false a LOT given the new blind spot monitoring systems on new cars. You’ll almost tune out the warnings because of that.

New detectors have filtering to minimize BSM, Escort 360 Max, the NEW valentine1 gen2, Radenso RC M



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

That is the 9500ci. I have it in my 430. The laser jammers are older tech and not effective against the newest lasers (Dragoneye, I think).
It's a good unit and the various bands are programmable to minimize false alerts. You can also get a subscription to update the GPS database for red light cameras and known speed traps.
The newer version the 360 max has better laser jammer tech and 2 radar detectors so it tells you if the signal is coming from the front or from behind you. I have this in my M4 and really like it.

Sent from my Galaxy

 

I have both the Valentine portable and the installed 9500 enhanced. Gotta say the Valentine seems to have better range. NOW, that could be that the Valentine in my truck is higher up the windshield, by far, than the installed one in my 360 which is in the front bumper. I will say I love the rear view mirror capability on the 9500. Really cool to look into the mirror for info. I guess both are ok. My friend just got a ticket in his 360/Valentine where the radar blasted, he braked hard and the CHP still clocked him at 89. CHP said he was going way faster but he got him "after" he hard braked. gave him a 75 in a 65 so he was actually pretty cool. Cheers and hope everyone is safe and healthy!