I've posted a msg a while ago concerning the best spot to place a radar detector on this thing. I called several feedback, but then the discussion turned to which detector was better. Most users on this forum argued that the Valentine 1 was tremendously better.
---I recently purchased a Passport 8500. I have found NO problems with it. As far as false alarms, this thing quickly shut its trap when it realize something is not worth yappin' about. Ofcourse it beeps when you roll by a bank, grocery store, or military bases.
---One concern a lot of people had was the fact that they would pass up police cars and no detection. "Shawn S" eluded to the previous posts on this topic V-1 Vs. Passport 8500.. One thing that I think people don't realize is that not all police cars have their radar guns on at all times.. Sometimes the car is just parked there on the street and turned off even.. So, if you pass up a cop on the road and nothing goes off then he might just not be trying to scan anyone. That blew my mind on the amount of times I saw that statement made... That's ridiculous.. Unless you live in a city where cops have nothing better to do then give out traffic violation tickets then don't expect radar guns to be on at all times.. I live in Chicago, and there are way greater concerns One-Time gotta deal with then someone going 20 over the speed limit. :-)
---So overall, the Passport 8500's performance after 2 weeks is going by well.. The Automute works great, plus it has the alert and mute button on the charger too. I got my Radio cranked up loud so I have it placed next to the winshield on the passenger side. I don't know how you guys manage with that V-1 and the visors. One thing I'm trying to eliminate is the coiled cord running down the dash...Any suggestions?

 

There is 12V available over the map/spot lights (above the rearview). To get there you would lower the sun glass holder and remove two screws, then pop out the lens for the map lights and remove two more screws (four screws to hold that piece of plastic seems a bit much). The only draw back is that power is hot, not key controlled. You can run the tapped power out between the liner and the front windshield (there's about a 1/2 inch gap).

------------------
Eat Safe, Use Condiments
red CL-S, non-Nav

 

Additional. The yellow wire in the 3-BLUE connector is "Hot in on or start". This is the connector for the automatic dimming inside mirror.

------------------
Eat Safe, Use Condiments
red CL-S, non-Nav