You may be right, however I think with radar the beam is so broad that it gets picked up almost no matter where the device is positioned on the windshield (at least that has been my experience). When CHP vehicles go by on the freeway, it is almost like they are radioactive, with the early signals being detected when they are a mile or so away, and getting louder as they get closer, then fading as they go by. For laser, I read on one of the technical evaluation websites that they found much better laser performance (earlier warning) when devices were mounted as low as possible. They found that mounting at top of windshield reduced the distance of detection for laser guns. This applied to all brands tested.

I agree that mine might benefit from being raised an inch or so to avoid possible wiper interference, although when you look out at the same angle as the detector, the wipers don't actually block it. I appreciate the input.

 

Has anyone ever self installed a Escort 9500ci, or even a K40?

Impossible mission best left to the dealer/pros or one you would do again due to the $$ savings?

I'm looking at a grand more to have the dealer install a 9500ci!

Jack

 

I'm still looking for the proper solution that results in an install that is not detectable by looking at the car, unless you notice the odd display or LEDs in the dash panels. Mounting a unit up on the windshield isn't an option there. I like the solutions that mount the radar/laser detectors in the front intakes by the license plate and on the back plate (the highly reflective favorite target for laser guns), but the displays for those systems still don't seem like they could be installed to look like an OEM system of some kind (rather than an aftermarket addon widget like a radar detector console).

 

I wanted to share this thread on another site that I found last night in my research. This is critical to read for any folks that have the 9500ci.

Findings are very interesting to define the placement of the radar receptors.

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...ad-thread.html

Jack

 

You should go to Valentine's site and read the section about unit placement. The offer some good advice which I'm sure is applicable to most units.

With that being said, if you're laser is going off, it's generally too late. It's nice to know you're being hit, but it only takes a moment to get a solid reading with a laser. You won't have time to slow down as it's that quick (I've used traffic laser equipment before). The reason they say to put it lower is to compensate for the minimal spread of the beam as they're usually shooting for a license plate or headlight. However the beam gets wider as it travels and having the radar unit at the top of the windshield for better radar reception would still work well for probably 99 percent of laser hits. I would put more emphasis into your radar receiving abilities and get a good active laser jammer such as the Laser Interceptor to solve your laser issues. I'm still not sure you Escort folks live without the arrows. It would drive me nuts to just bear beeping and not know where the signal is originating from.

 

Considering the placement issues of the 9500ci, which if you follow the suggestions from some of the "Pros" has the units being anything but concealed, and couple that with the $1600 unit cost plus expense to install if you don't want to do it yourself, the dash/windshield mount 9500ix starts to look even better to me!!

No, I don't have jamming, but I'd hate to have a pissed of Cop stop me knowing I was trying to jam his signal.

 

If you're not locked into a product yet, why are you not considering the Valentine?

 

Read many reviews - the issue of dealing with all the false alerts would drive me nuts! Become "desensitized" after just so many cries of wolf from the Valentine.

 

Not sure what reviews you've read, but go ahead and poll the members on here about which detector they're using. Everybody can't be wrong

Out of the box, the V1 can be a little chatty. It's easily programmed to be customized for your area and to significantly cut down on the alerts.

 

Deputydog95,

I've gone back and again researched radar detectors.

It's constantly between the Escort 9500i and the Valentine - each win their fair share of reviews.

Guysofladar.com seem to have one of the more intelligently run tests and write ups. There the Valentine does take first place with a close second by Escort 9500i. In the "Around the Curve" test, the Valentine wins by a substantial margin.

OK, edge is given to Valentine in test BUT I've read so many negative posts from chaps that have turned in their Valentine for Escort due to false alarms from the Valentine driving them crazy.

Please advise what you have done to overcome this issue - settings/programming choices?

Has there ever been a "Poll" here on what detectors folks are using?
If not, would be fun to see what results are and comments folks would make.

Thanks,
Jack

 

It's all personal preference, but I trust the GOL (guys of lidar) and have had great personal experience with the V1. Not to mention the arrows make a huge difference. Situational awareness as Mike Valentine calls it, is the key to staying out of trouble with the law. The arrows get to be second nature after a while and you'll have a hard time using a unit without them. One great example of how the arrows can be useful is if you have a police car driving in traffic behind you with his radar unit on. You may not be able to see him, but he can probably see you. Having the arrow pointing to the rear with the signal strength not diminishing is a good indicator you're being followed and should be an indicator to keep it slow for a while to avoid be paced.

With regards to programming the unit, the first thing you have to do is determine what bands of radar are being used in your area. Being in Florida, you're setup should be very similar to mine. Police can't use xband for speed detection here according to state statute, so just turn x off altogether. That knocks a lot of the garbage out. Second, program the unit to not alert to any k band for 30 seconds, unless the signal strength goes over 4. You can set it for 6, but I prefer 4. What that does is eliminate nuisance K band signals as you're driving through congested areas. With that being said, if you stop at a light with a supermarket using k band and you're there for more than 30 seconds, you will get an alert even with low signal strength.

Customizing the V1 makes all the difference. You could do a poll on here, but go ahead and so a search first for the radar detector threads. Hands down, V1 is easily the most popular unit and that's not by accident. It may not be the prettiest detector, but it has signal arrows and works extremely well. I like it so much I have two

 

The V1 has great advantages, but I just cannot get past the need to mount that thing up high on the windscreen, where anyone looking in the car can see it sitting there. If there was some way to integrate that box into the 'dome light/homelink' area so that when I'm parked, I'm not tempting someone to smash the window and grab the unit, I'd be all over the V1.

Until there's a better way to integrate detectors into the stock equipment of the car where they can be permanently mounted in a concealed or OEM looking fashion, I'll stick with my 'between the ears' detector that relies on driving to minimize my chances of getting zapped.

 

Interesting perspective. IMO, the chances of you getting a ticket are probably 10 times higher than your car getting broken into. You can always take it down and stick it in the glovebox if you're concerned about theft.

Honestly, if you mount it high enough it's not really that visible from the exterior. I think it looks much more tempting when folks mount them in the middle of the windshield with the cord hanging down.

 

I have my V1 mounted on the passenger side of my M5, on the visor with a switched feed from the sunroof controls. You cannot see the detector from outside the car, period.

I'm hoping to do something similar with my TT cab. Obviously the cab creates a new set of problems for stealth.

 

I have my V1 mounted in the same spot as your M in my cab, the cayenne, and my daily driver.

It's no problem with the cab. You just can't leave it mounted with the top down. Well, I guess you could but no guarantee it will be there when you get back