Does any1 know, also any1 have the valentine, where did they mount it pics please

 

Why wouldn't they? My Passport 8500 works everywhere! Trust me, I've been saved on many occasions.

 

the passport is good, get the one with the blue LED though.......oh wait thats my preference, they all still work the same, the passport 8500 that is.

 

Where do you reside ?

 

Beltronics 965 works very well. Had mine hardwired.

 

Riverside, CA now. Moving to the South Bay in two weeks.

 

I have the V1 hardwired in the TL. The unit itself sits up just behind the mirror, with only the antenna sticking out to the right. I have the concealed display in the front left corner of the dash and the remote audio adapter in the dash slot next to the power adapter. I will try to take some pics and post them later tonight or tomorrow...

It works awesome as it is mounted up high and basically out of sight.

The car is also equipped with an installed K40 Laser detector/jammer with the LED in the dashboard so it reflects in the speedometer.

-DMR.

 

I live in Cerritos and I use the escort x50 witht the blue led's. It has saved me only once, and in my opinion, the device already paid for itself considering that tickets cost upwards of 200 sometimes.
Havn't had much luck in cerritos area though, guess the cops dont really hide and catch speeders as much. Only time i have seen them posted up somewhere is near the basketball courts at regional park, where this motorcycle cop was pointing his radar gun at traffic passing by.

 

Thanks for the feedback, I needed to hear about it saving someones ass. I just got the passport, but then it wasn't the blue led one so I returned it. I just bought this cheap whistler one, and it seems to do the same job, just with alot less features. Do you have any mods done on your car, do you have a 3rd gen?

 

Don't go cheap. Stick with Passport, Valentine, or BEL (same as Passport). On these things always go top of the line. They will save you. They're not a catch all, but it is a added protection.

 

whiskey tango foxtrot

 

Yes, make sure you get the top of the line. As it has been mentioned they aren't fool proof, but why would you cheap out and get something that doesn't work too well to save your ass when for ~300 you can buy something that will do a much better job of it? And I'm not sure why GoBig says BEL is the same as escort...because I don't know that to be true.

BTW, I have the Escort Passport 8500 x50 Blue...hardwired.

 

Yes I have a third gen, and you probably should've stuck with the escort. IMO it has one of the best detection in terms of range, and the least false alarms for the price.

Only mods I have done so far is to install a audio/video tv tuner, and dvd player in the trunk; so I could watch tv (bad reception) and dvd's in the car. Trying to get some 18 inch rims; friend is selling 18inch 5zigen 5zr w/ used tires for 500 bucks, not sure if those are any good though. Also planning on some aspec suspension....

 

According to Radarbusters.com, "One point to consider, Escort and Beltronics are now owned and operated by the same company. The Escort 8500 X50 and the Beltronics RX65 are virtually the same radar detector with the following exceptions"...

 

Very funny. I'm still chuckling. The humor on this site is great.

I love the way you threw it out there and everyone kept on posting like it wasn't even there. Ha!

That's a Big 10-4 on 5. Out.

 

what does all of this mean? i do not know cb lingo

 

Can anyone provide photos, instructions on how you performed the hard wire? Also, if you have the "smart cord" with the mute button, where did you place this? Any advice/instructions are greatly appreciated!

 

HAHAHA!!! romeo oscar tango foxtrot lima mike alpha oscar (okay, that was a bit long)

But anyhow..... 8500! I'd love to get a new 8500 to get blue, but i cant justify buying another 8500 just to get blue... but then again... i could sell this one on e-bay.... hmmmmm....

 

Do cops always have their radar on, or only when they are trying to see your speed. IE, will the radar detect only radar being aimed at you or if it is being used in the general area?


Quote: what does this mean

W.T.F.
Thats a big OK on (not sure on 5, but 10-5 is relay message) Out

 

[QUOTE=crazymjb]Do cops always have their radar on, or only when they are trying to see your speed. IE, will the radar detect only radar being aimed at you or if it is being used in the general area?


Some cops leave their radar guns on by accident and the detectors pick it up. Most of them have em turned off until they are ready to shoot the car. Some are sneaky and wait right when you see them, so there's no time to react.

From my experience, bike cops leave them on. My detector picks up all bike cops even when they're riding by.

The detectors pick up any radar signal -- either pointed directly to you or not

 

Some cops leave their radar guns on by accident and the detectors pick it up. Most of them have em turned off until they are ready to shoot the car. Some are sneaky and wait right when you see them, so there's no time to react.

From my experience, bike cops leave them on. My detector picks up all bike cops even when they're riding by.

The detectors pick up any radar signal -- either pointed directly to you or not

 

Damn, not too many bike cops in new england. Oh well, we will eventually get one and see how it goes from their.

 

well, "picks up any signal pointed at you are not" is a little too vague of a description...

Radar is VERY directional, it is not like a cell phone for example, which basically radiates the same power in all directions.

It is b/c of this directional property that allows it to work the way it does.

For the most part, you will only get it when it is aimed "in your general direction", OR if it is aimed let's say, the opposite direction (to pick up people coming towards you) and it is reflecting off other cars, signs, buildings, etc. Radar guns only work when they are pretty much straight on with you, so the waves are parrallel with your direction of travel, the cop could be stationary, heading towards you, or the same direction as you but from behind you, or moving in even the same direction but him in front of you. If a cop is "off axis" from you, technically there will be some error in his reading, but... dont try to use that in an argument b/c he will read your speed slower than you are actually going, not faster.

but in anycase, radar detectors require a good bit of "learning" on YOUR part to really use them well. There was a good analogy that www.radartest.com made to buying a ferrari, just b/c you buy a ferrari, doesnt mean you can drive as well as mario andretti... or something to that effect is what they said... But, I will say, the best radar detectors, such as the escort passport 8500 (what i have), the V1, etc... work VERY VERY VERY well to 'protect' you, but they are by no means full proof... I got approximately 15 tickets from 16yrs old until about 21yrs old... or whenever the 8500 came out... granted i changed my driving habits since then, I'm 25 and have only gotten one ticket, which was in the past 6 months... it was b/c I'm doing 54 in a 40, a cop turns the corner from a side road and i was not watching for cops as well as I normally do, and i didnt see him until he turned the radar on and got me.... But, in most cases, if a cop is driving along in the opposite direction, the good radar detectors will pick him up if he just has it on all the time from as far as a mile and and a half, to two miles away (from my own testing). It is neccisarily by accident that some cops just drive with them on, some of them just leave it on just to watch it, and dont want to bother with instant on, and if they see someoen going fast, then they'll go after them... but even if he is either driving towards you, or parked in the side of the road, and hitting people with "instant", the good radar detectors will still generally pick them up from a mile and ahalf to two miles away... but this is where "learing" the characteristics of the radar detector where you drive comes in to play, there are some places where even the best radar detectors will get false, such as walgreens, shell gas stations, and some other places with some types of automatic door openers... but, mos tother places the radar detector will never go off unless its a cop, or sometimes, if someoen has an active jammer (rare) or some cheap radar detectors can even emit enough radar of their own (has to do with the way they work) that they can be picked up by your radar detector... but... back to what i was saying about instant... if there is enough traffic in front of you, you will pick up a little "blip" of radar when he hits someone down the road in front of you... then maybe that signal will go away and you'll get another blip a few seconds later... that is a dead give away that there is a cop running instant up ahead...

Most the good ones, like my 8500 and the V1, will also tell you how many signals you are getting... which, can actually come in handy, this feature has saved me twice.... one time, b/c i was in front of a gas station that always sets it off, but.... in addition to the normal couple of bars of K signal I always get there, i ALSO got a second K signal... when i passed the gas station, the first K signal went away, the secone one stayed (I love the "expert" signal meter mode on the 8500), and sure enough a mile ahead was a cop. The other time, the multi-signal tracking saved me was... there was one of those "your speed is" signs, which, a lot of us probably 'play with' from time to time, but... this sign had been there for a week, so i wasnt too worried... but then one day i come up on it, and I'm getting TWO signals.... so i go the speed limit... and what do you know, 100 feet or so past the "your speed is" sign hidden behind some bushes, was a cop....

Hopefully this info will help you out...

 

I have a Passport 8500 in one of my cars as well. I only use it when I drive to Las Vegas because those highways just seem to beg you to speed. It has more than paid for itself and whoever I have in the car with me is always impressed on how much of a warning I receive in advance.