You can easily see if you have it by pointing a phone camera at the plate. And you will get a ticket for it here in California.

However since I still have those new car paper ads for plates I guess I should run lights while I have a chnace.

Amazon is currently having a good deal on the 9500ix, $350 brand new for the blue display. Jump on it! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0RPGG/..._s_amzn_mx2g9c

You'd get that over the Valentine?

I figured the GPS and the smartphone integration feature is better than the arrows imo. As far as performance goes, people say that the valentine one is slightly better. I needed a radar anyways for roadtrips and my old $150 whistler decided to die on me.

You are wrong.........a cell phone uses no flash........traffic cameras use a flash......come on get a program........or at least do some research.....I am in my 60's and have never had a speeding ticket and have never been bothered by traffic cameras...........

It's not an installed unit though. That's what I have for the stealth look.

Wierd. My cel phone has a flash. You're the first person not selling those products that claims they work. Also, being that traffic cameras have really only started popping up in the last decade or so, isn't your age irrelevant? Any research I've done leads me to believe the product you're talking about is snake oil. Do you have any information (not from the people selling the product) that provides evidence to the contrary?

I have seen sprays and covers that do a few things:

1. Spray the plate so a flash will be so bright so as to ruin the photo, like shooting in a mirror.
2. Polarize the plate (cover are cheaper) with a polarizing filter so that the plate appears to be blank when viewed through a camera lens that does not use a circular polarizer to "unpolarize" the light.

Both illegal in my state.

Came in to state my opinion...

Valentine 1. Yes the 9500ix is a sexy and sleek radar that has awesome features to keep it quite but it's not the same as having a valentine 1. I had the Beltronics vector 965, the escort 8500 x50, and the 9500ix but all of them combined are not as great as the valentine. The valentine is a very sensitive radar so you are sacrificing the comfort of "no noise" for performance. The arrows DO MATTER. I can't begin to explain how much those arrows help!

I think of it like this. The 9500ix is like a G37. It does perform well and has the luxuries. But the v1 is like the Z, raw performance.


-M-

^so... If the "cop" is behind you, you slow down? Or not slow down? Or if it's in front of you you slow down? Or... Do you not slow down...?

With the new technology the cops have with Lidar, not the V1 nor the 9500ix stand a chance. You get zapped 3-4 times before your detector ever even realizes a signal was shot. In Texas a laser switcher or jammer is legal and thats really the only proven defense against the new laser technology. The passport zr4 is my next one. It is not only hidden but it works with my 9500ix.

Even with the old laser technology, without a jammer all the detector was doing was letting you know you were ticketed most of the time. Not enough warning to react, unless you got a *very* lucky reflection when they hit another car further up the road. And yeah, Texas banned laser jammers in 2011 finally.

The upside is that laser is still less common than radar and always will be, so a good radar detector still helps reduce your odds of a ticket. Laser requires the officer to stop on the side of the road and set up with it to get accurate targeting, whereas radar is mobile and easy. I see both around the Houston area, but still radar far more commonly.

The best defense against both has never changed, though: just being more aware. Slow down going over blind hills and be ready to brake if you see a trap on the other side. Watch traffic patterns ahead of you: if you see brake lights on the highway and you're not already in stop-n-go traffic: slow down - either there's an incident or a cop ahead. The other thing is basically don't drive like an a$$. If you speed by reasonable amounts and drive safely otherwise, you're far less likely to draw police attention and they'll let you go even when they know you're speeding a bit. If you're weaving in much slower traffic and being stupid, they'll make a much larger effort to pull you over for a much smaller speed violation than they otherwise would. There's always a judgement call on the officer's part: don't convince him that you're a safety hazard to everyone else on the road :)

Yea I stand corrected. Sept 1st 2011 went illegal to shift.

The only reason the arrows help me in general is that the laser speed traps, at least in my area, hit you from far away then again when you get close to take the picture. I have never had to do this, but I figure if you get hit and see the trap, just turn around and head the other way or turn off the road. So if I see I got hit from the front, I would do what is stated above. Sides and rear? I agree, you would slow down anyway.

There was an instance where there were multiple cops. One was standing behind a ramp and one was .25 miles ahead. I was driving with a buddy of mine who had a 8500. As soon as we passed the first cop he sped up thinking he was safe. I knew because of my arrows that it wasn't. He ended up getting pulled over.


-M-

How is not knowing what direction the signal is coming from better? V1 hands down for radar protection.


Sent from my Lumia 1020 using Tapatalk

All that proves is your friend is a moron.

If I have Ka or something, see a cop and still have a signal, I'm still driving slow, if I get a blip of Ka, I drive slower, or within the legal limits for about 10 miles unless I get a stronger signal.

The longest confirmed Ka band I have with my new Escort Passport Max was 11 miles on a raid trip to Sacramento. I had 2 radar detectors, one set to spec mode which gives me the frequency of the radar. I had a blip 11 miles out, went away, another stronger blip 5 miles out, and for the last 2.4 miles I had a constant Ka, all the same frequency until I saw the CHP officer sitting on the side of the road.
Now, 11 miles is a bit much, no one should EXPECT 11 miles. But the average range I had was 7 miles on that trip.



For arguments sake, you will almost never win from LIDAR, and you will NEVER win from instant on radar, you can just pray that the cop turn it on for another car ahead of you

I guess it's just personal preference. But I do agree with the lidar and instant being impossible to avoid


-M-

I'd like your input

Don't speed and you won't ever need a radar detector.

I do not practice what I preach and use an Escort 9500ix. Is it the best? I have no idea because I am not a scientist like most of the other posters here seem to think they are. Most high-end detectors probably do about the same job. I have been using Escort/Passport detectors since the Cincinnati Microwave days in the early 80's and just settled on that brand and the have saved me from my own devices many times over.

Some used or new good radar detectors cost almost like a speeding ticket + traffic school so I might as well buy it.

I'll take preloaded (and constantly updated) trap spots and traffic cameras and GPS detection over colorful arrows any day.

Because of 2 reasons:

1. For those that argue that radar detectors don't help prevent you from getting pulled over, they just let you know you've been caught... What does it matter what direction it's coming from, if you're caught you're caught? :confused:

2. But seriously, when I get a spike on my detector I don't care what direction it may be coming from, I do a 360* scan and check the sides of both directions of traffic and every car I can see to spot the emitter.

If I have a device that I put my faith in that it's going to tell me where the signals coming from, it allows the driver to get complacent and only look where the arrows pointing, and they may not see anything, and speed back up... When the actual emitter could have been somewhere else.


I'm not knocking the V1 at all, I know it is extremely sensitive and will pick up a lot of (potentially false) signals. For those that have them, since it's not GPS capable, how do you weed out what is/is not a false signal, or prevent them from happening every time you pass by that emitter, say a 7-11 door?

When comparing them V1 and the 8500/9500xi side by side, it's essentially a coin flip depending on what feature set you want. But for me, I wanted the stealth look making it easier to drive through Detector Intolerant states without being harassed. So for me the 9500ci was the best choice that offered the feature set I wanted and the clean install.

Slow down using your hand brake. That way there are no brake lights to alert the cop that you see him. Plus, stay vigilant for a few minutes anyway. SInce is not always golden. Cops around here use Ka, no one has the budget for Lidar.

You're putting a lot of faith in the car behind you to be paying enough attention to slow down with you instead of riding up on you. :ugh2:

Makes sense. But where I live there aren't any speed traps and I sure as hell don't run red lights. So the 9500 didn't make sense. As a personal preference I like hearing my radar. The 9500 can't even be heard if I have the windows down on the freeway, whereas my valentine can be heard even with windows down and music on. In the end there really isn't a "BETTER". It all boils down to personal preference.


-M-

I would imagine that's due to it having a built in speaker? You can up the volume but I can see that being an issue.

The 9500ci has a separate 3" speaker unit I have mounted under the steering column. I have it set to MAX volume, and even with the windows down and stereo up, I hear "RED LIGHT CAMERA AHEAD" clear as day.

I simply say thank you, and keep :driving:

:icon17:

Not sure how the "ci" works. But I had the "ix" I know for a FACT had terrible speakers. It was very annoying.


-M-

The 9500ci is the "Custom Installed" version, it has multiple sensors/parts that can be mounted wherever you choose.

http://www.bestradardetectors.net/as...ort_9500ci.gif

Yeah that looks much better than the 9500ix. How much does everything run brand new?


-M-

If there is a car behind me then the cop is watching him and not me and there is no need to slow down as I stated.

Chris, the 9500ci setup is about 1700 dollars. I paid 350 for my valentine 1. So the 9500ci isn't even in the same category as the valentine 1. I would compare the 9500ix to it.


-M-

I got mine for $1150 shipped when I bought it in 2011. The GPS database updates are free for 3 years. :tup:

And you know this... how?

I wasn't saying the 9500ci is in the same price point as the 9500ix or V1, just that for me it was the best unit.

Gotcha. That makes more sense


-M-

I have a small Z. 98% of the cars out there are bigger. Cop won't even see me. And you cannot radar a car hidden by another car.

So many :confused: points here...

1. Car size is irrelevant to radar/laser targeting. They are aiming for your license plate or headlight, which is always incredibly smaller than the entire car.

2. You do realize that a cop doesn't need to physically "see" your car until he gets a ping on his emitter? He gets a ping, looks at the car it locked, visually acquires you, and pulls onto the road.

3. With the PRTs of modern radars, they most certainly can ping multiple cars in succession with no problems. Doesn't matter if you're the 1st, 2nd, or 5th car in a line, they can single you out.

4. I had said that you are in front of another car, and e-Braking to slow down, that you're putting faith in the car behind you to slow down as well... I think you might have misread what I said?

Tell me how they see my license plate or headlight if there is a car behind me and the cop is behind that car.

By the radar need to see the car. Asuming there is a Toyota Camry behind me and the cop behind the Camry, what does he point his radar at?

In succession, yes. We are not talking about a parade of cars going by a stationary cop. We are talking about me driving AWAY from the cop, and there is a car behind me, and the cop wants to read my car, not the one behind, or in front of, me.

I never e-brake with a car behind me. But with NO car behind me exept a sttaionary cop, yes I'll e-brake. With a car behind me, the cop will no easier see me than I see him.

Yeah I wasn't referring to a cop rolling with you in traffic... If you get busted by a moving cop, it's your own fault. :icon17:


I was referring to a cop set up somewhere.

If you go back to my original ebrake statement it was referring to a cop seeing me from behind. Rolling or not. If he sees my brake lights the can say that is an admission of guilt!

Oh ok, you were responding to DE's post. I thought you were responding to mine.

My bad. :tiphat: