spourreza

Hi everyone! Anyone recommend a good radar protector that is top notch and small? So it's not so obvious! Thanks.

Edgy01

Sadly, what you are asking for is somewhat mutually exclusive. The better units take up more real estate, and to operate at their best, must be positioned in an exposed location. If you bury a smaller unit in such a way that it is undetectable--it has a significantly reduced range.

okbarnett

I use the passport 9500ix, its got all the latest stuff and i clip it to my pass side visor, its not noticable, power to a wire to the overhead console

Jake951

I assume you mean radar detector (protector?). The Escort 9500ci is a concealed detector, but it's not cheap and the installation involves a lot of labor. However, the radar detection performance of the 9500ci is second to none. I replaced my V1 with the 9500ci.

utkinpol

>replaced my V1 with the 9500ci.

funny, i had escort in the prevous car and love V1 now. i guess grass is always greener on the other side.

PasPar2

+1 on V1

Edgy01

When it comes to radar, it's all about Line of Sight. When you place any antenna low to the ground you will wind up with a significantly less detection range compared to when you mount the antenna up as high on the vehicle as you can (earth curvature being what it is, long with other clutter). Even if the Escort has higher power output (which I doubt seriously) you can't fight physics.

Jake951

The thing that drove me nuts with the V1 was all the false alarms in my area (suburban Boston). At least 95% of the alerts were false alarms. I found myself falling into the trap of starting to ignore all alerts, which is a bad thing. The 9500ci learns the locations of false alarms and locks them out. Its false alarm rate is almost zero unless something new shows up. When it goes off, you know something is up.

I also tested the V1 and 9500ci side-by-side in my car and there just wasn't a significant difference in detection range. The Escort did have a slight edge, but not enough to qualify as a major difference. This is consistent with test results I've seen on the Web.

RED HORSE

I remain fascinated by people's reaction to "false alarms." These units are radar detectors, not police detectors. I see complaints about false alarms as proof that a unit is working very good. It is finding radar signals. It is a tool to use to HELP us locate LEOs, not a tool to find LEOs.

utkinpol

i used to have some false alarms but after i switched it from default mode into some 'intelligent' mode and turned off some band, do not remember details as i got it from here but now it works fine.

i love to see from what direction signal comes. also, after some time based on how signal looks on the indicator i know right away if it is a false or not.

range wise i think based on the highway distances V1 is about 1.5 times more sensitive than escort but it is difficult to say for sure as cars are different, etc. may be v1 is mounted higher now than escort was. all in all it works fine, i got used to it, so, it stays.

are you signing up for 2012 season events already?

USMC_DS1

I mount my Escort Redline just under the mirror and hardwired it to the overhead light console. Still easy enough to disconnect/pull off when parked and/or pull over by LEO.

NA011

My V1 hangs from a mirror mount. I've been using the V1 since they first came out & several times I have sent it back to the factory for a trade in on the updated model.

My one & only gripe is the "Laser sound" should be the loudest of the 3 sounds (x, K, Laser). When I first hear the "Laser sound" I think "What is that?" Then it's aw shi_!!!

Jake951

It would be more accurate to say that these are "microwave signal detectors". There are many services that populate the microwave bands, of which police radar is only one (and a very small minority at that). I would prefer not to have to do so much mental processing to figure out what is police and what is not. It tends to overwhelm my small brain.

Jake951

You will eliminate a lot of false alarms if you turn off X band. There is hardly any police radar on X band these days.

At least with NER, registration doesn't open until March 1. I haven't checked yet with other regions.

J. Kid

I've got the k40 Calibre. Nothing to put up or take down as the 2 small LEDs are built into the dash right below the tachometer (left for front and right for rear) you have the option of voice, tone & lights, just tone & lights or just lights. All sounds come through the stereo speakers regardless if stereo is on. Sensors are hard wired to front and rear bumpers sensors which are very discretely mounted. System turns on automatically when you turn the car on so there is nothing to remember to do. I often forget about the system except when it goes off and warns me of the LEO. There are lots of negative impressions on the web about the K40 mostly related to how well the laser jamming feature works. I feel the radar / laser detector portion does a fine job and a top pick if you value the built in stealth factor.