I was using the Escort X50 until recently. I've also been a long time Escort Radar user since the 80's with their first detector. Best Buy had the Escort 9500ix Blue on sale during Cyber Monday for $450 with a $10 e-coupon emailed to you after the purchase. So far, I really like the 9500ix. There are very few false alarms, if any, with the auto-learn capability. The redlight camera warning is a great feature. The fact that the firmware and redlight camera database are easily upgradeable, via USB, is a bonus. I won't have to worry about the 9500ix being obsolete for a long time, as long as Escort supports it.

 

Yeah, my bro was a "county mountie" for over 25 years. He told me once that he used to "go through a gross of BIC pens a month". He was exaggerating, but he was "on a mission". But, eventually, he discovered he was in court on his days off, had to postpone and cancel vacations, etc. for some pretty petty things. He too, as you said, learned to evaluate the circumstances and became more judicious...And, a BIC would last for months and months.

Thank you guys for ALL you do and have to put up with!



P.

 

 

I agree Thanks! Now lets get to the real problem on the road , TAILGATERS!!!!!!!!

 

Just had a thought about that the other day when I was watching reruns of Pimp My Ride.... That bar on the back is retractable, and is supposed to pop out so the owner can do skateboard tricks on it.... Soon as I saw it I thought... "thatll get cars off my ***...."

 

Tailgaters?? Lol

 

Anybody use a jammer?

 

http://www.radarbusters.com/jammersdontworkarticle.cfm

 

I dont know man, I have defeated pretty much everything locally in terms of radar, except fullgrown bears running laser (and they only seem to do this along major interstate routes, local is always radar in the southeast in my experience) with my V1 over the last 9 years or so. It's so much of a joke that I can detect them around curves and over hills, sometimes it goes on for so long that I almost begin to speed back up thinking it must be a false alert or leakage from another nearby car's detector, before the threat finally comes into view. The record was picking up a state trooper that had a car already stopped, he was at the bottom of a hill 1.8 miles away while I was on the other side of the hill approaching from behind. He had apparently left his unit on full burst while the car was stopped.

Only tickets I've gotten with them in operation were in Atlanta on 75S (laser, ST was hiding deep tucked under an overpass, 1am, 6 lanes over) and near Jacksonville on 95S (3am, middle of nowhere, only car on the road in either direction, ST sitting in a crossover median area).

I did even defeat laser once in Nashville on 40W because there was traffic ahead of me that left me enough time to shave off 10mph before I got zapped a couple seconds later, but that was pure luck I'm sure.

 

Man I feel your pain in trying to find the right detector. I bought one about a year ago. I did a lot of research reading all the online reviews, and after reading all the reviews, I was more confused than when I started my research. Everyone seems to have good and bad things to say about all of the makes and models. Flame Red wrote a good review comparing the Valentine and the Escort, so I will basically add on to what he had to say. Beltronics and Escort detectors appear to be made by the same company. Both located at 5442 West Chester Road, West Chester, Ohio 45069-2950. I purchased a Cobra XRS 9970G about a year ago, I don’t have any complaints. I hooked up my friend’s older Beltronics and my Cobra at the same time and drove around for a couple of weeks, and they we both pretty much detecting/going off at the same time. The Cobra was going off slightly more often, but when it did go off, I didn’t see any cops around. So I don’t know if the Cobra is better because it went off more often, or worse because it may have been going off due to it was detecting false signals. The Cobra gives you free online upgrades, shows all the red light cameras, go off to let you know when an emergency vehicle is approaching with its lights or siren (which is nice when you drive around with the stereo turn up very loud, like I do), it lets you know when the cops radar hits your car, and was a lot cheaper than the other brands.

 

Escort now has something called Escort live.
No its not a dating service with a happy ending..
It is something that links all drivers that use it in a general area... If one picks up Laser it reports to the other drivers in the area.

I have not read totally up on it, but my guess is it sends something like a text to your phone is imagine.

Not sure if it makes your radar go off or just your app phone.

Interesting idea though to make a network of detectors.

I'll have to look into that.
Ps love my 9500ix.
Run it on the vette and ZX-14

Twisted1

 

The best device to avoid radar problems...is the CRUISE CONTROL. No kidding, I make the best time, point to point with that factory "ticket avoidance" system.

The way I look at it, in traffic is no place to be screwing around. There is a certain general "cocoon" of behavior assumed by the general public sharing the road. Those operating outside this "cocoon" will disturb the natural flow of traffic, and require everyone around that person to snap out of "auto pilot" and rise to the peak of his senses and abilities to deal with this "out of the norm" situation.

Unfortunately, not everyone in traffic becomes aware of the need to switch out of "auto pilot", nor does everyone have the same abilities if they do, or the vehicle they're driving may not be equally agile. So, operating outside of the norm, outside of the normal traffic behavior "cocoon", raises the stakes for the violator as well as those other drivers around him/her. It is up to the other drivers to become aware of the need to switch off of "auto pilot" long enough to accommodate someone operating outside the norm, for any reason. That seldom happens, but ch*t does as result!

I'm no hypocrite. I have just over 500 hp at the crank, and I've always loved to "go fast". But, generally, a radar detector isn't necessary on a wide open stretch of highway, devoid of traffic, where a quick run-up to scratch an itch and then back down is possible w/o involving anyone else.

Unfortunately, there are places (like some counties in Colorado, I can testify) where the annual LEO budget depends on ticket revenues, and irregardless of the lack of any legitimate hazard, "fund raiser" traps are always a possibility. (last time I saw the annual budget of a certain CO county LE budget, it was made up of 38% ticket revenue...)

Always best to play at a track, or sanctioned event somewhere - to avoid a "fund raiser" if nothing else.

Just my 2 cents.

P.

 

Don't forget that some states may do traffic enforcement without using radar or laser at all. The "Bear in the Air" can see cars that are speeding and time them using only marks on the side of the pavement. Then you just see a LEO come up from behind all lit up and he's going to write you up.....

Here in WA, the State Patrol has 5 Cessna 172's (call signs Smokey 1 thru 5) that fly over the interstates and many state highways. Their observations are radioed to cars on the ground and those Troopers write the tickets. The pilots are not required to appear in court and judges pretty much refuse to issue subpoenas for them.

The WSP also runs some pretty seriously fast motorcycles and these Troopers use laser exclusively. They wear all black riding suits, to include the helmets and their emergency lights are all LED so they can't be seen when off. They will sit behind bridge abutments or on the other side of a hill and wait. The laser unit will be out and pointed at a lane just waiting. Their new Honda ST 1300 PA (which replaced the BMW RS1100S bikes) bikes have a 0-60 time of about 3 seconds so you don't get to go very far once you get hit with the laser.

 

Same here!
This is easily the best radar detector on the market. Since I got mine about 5 years ago I have not had a ticket since then. Not that I am speedy gonzalez all the time but this radar detector always finds them at such a long distance away, I am usually looking to see where the signal is comming from for miles before I see the source. I like the programability where I can store nuisance signals like the Walgreens automatic opening door. But even that is minimized as this radar detector rarely if ever faults. It only goes off on police radar and gives me miles more warning time than any other detector I have owned. I love this detector so much, that when my vehicle was burglarized and the detector was stolen, I went right out and bought another one. I have been saved so many times by this radar detector that it has paid for itself dozens of times over. I love my GX65 Pro Series radar detector from Beltronics!

 

Turn the X and K Bands off.

FYI...Leave Ka Band and Laser on.

 

Planning on picking up an X50 or 9500 this winter. it's just an extra precaution. The key is using radars as as assist, not relying on them.

 

Works like a charm, every time. And is getting there 14 minutes earlier really worth a $300 fine? Tickets aren't cheap any more. And if you get stopped, you just lost all the time you made up and then some. Radar detectors are great, but cruise control works better.

Uh oh.....

 

My Valentine has proven effective in sniffing out the CHP in NorKal.

My driving style is not that aggressive as to cause concern on this forum.
I always drive with the observed speed limits......
But experience has taught me to monitor those who are monitoring you.

 

Just a heads up to any driving through Ohio. Law was passed this year that says a LEO properely trained to use a laser/radar unit is qualified to determine speed and can cite without the need for hard numbers from a speed detection unit.

In other words if I think your driving too fast I can cite you for speeding.

Now before cr*p starts to fly, OPOTA requires us to determine the approximate speed of a vehicle prior to using any kind of speed detection device to verify our estimate. In training we had to estimate the speed of ten random vehicles and be withing 3% of the actual speed and prior to being certified on our laser, we had to do that on over 100 vehicles. After thousands of cars passing at highway speeds, you get real good at determining the actual speed of a vehicle.

Don't worry, most of us don't start writing tickets until 15+ over the limit. My biggest pet peave is not so much speeding but traffic control violations.

 

PA has a similar statute. We use "DRIVING AT SAVE SPEED." However during testimony we must validate ourselves as "Experienced."