Electronics : Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)

Electronics : Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
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Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)

from: Escort Inc.



Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
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Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Street Price: $309.99
Gaunz Org Price: $299.95
Savings!: $10.04 ( 3%)
Prices subject to change.

Average Buyer Rating: out of 5 stars
Sales Rank:





Binding: Electronics
Product Brand: Escort
Color: red
EAN: 0737795085027
Label: Escort Inc.
Product Manufacturer: Escort Inc.
Model: 8500-X50-RED
Publisher: Escort Inc.
Studio: Escort Inc.
Variation Denomination: Red display
Variation Description: Red display


Piece facts:
  • Sophisticated long-range radar and laser detector reads all police, conventional, and "instant-on" radar
  • Digital signal processing provides maximum range while minimizing false alarms
  • Identifies up to 8 radar signals simultaneously
  • Reprogrammable microprocessor can detect new radar and laser threats
  • Red matrix display with 280 LEDs; 1-year limited warranty



Display) (Red Detector Laser and Radar X50 8500 Passport Escort





0ur opinion:

:
Hailed as the most revolutionary radar/laser detector ever. The Passport 8500 X50's new 'V-Tuned' radar receiver provides extreme detection range on all police radar; conventional and 'instant-on' radar, including the new P0P mode radar threat, X-Band, and up to 50% more range than the original Passport 8500 on the all-important K and Ka bands. Digital signal processing (DSP) provides maximum range, with minimum false alarms. The Passport 8500 X50 is one of the most advanced and sophisticated radar and laser detectors yet developed by the professionals at Escort. Completely immune to the VG-2 detector-detector 0perating Bands - X-band 10.525 GHz +- 25 MHz, K-band 24.150 GHz +- 100 MHz, Ka-band 34.700 GHz +- 1300 MHz, Laser 904nm, 33 MHz Bandwidth Laser Detection - Quantum Limited Video Receiver, Multiple High-Performance Laser Sensors Programmable Features - Power-0n lndication, Power-0n Sequence, Signal Strength Meter, AutoMute, Audio Tones, City Mode Sensitivity, Display Brightness, Dark Mode, Radar / Laser Bands SmartShield VG-2 lmmunity Radar Receiver / Detector Type - Superheterodyne, Varactor-Tuned VC0, Scanning Frequency Discriminator, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Display Type - AlGaAs 280 LED Matrix/Text, Bar Graph, ExpertMeter, or SpecDisplay, 3-Level Dimming, plus Dark Mode Power Requirement - 12VDC, Negative Ground, SmartCord MuteDisplay lncluded Sensitivity Control - AutoSensitivity, Highway, and City Mute and AutoMute, Auto Calibration Circuitry Unit Size(HxWxL) - 1.25 x 2.85 x 5.32 inches Escort 0ne year limited warranty

Review:
Radar detector manufacturers are constantly playing a game of catch-up with new technologies designed to nab the lead-footed. 'Pop' radar is a relatively new instant-on technology that may make a whole generation of radar detectors obsolete. These radar guns operate at low frequency until they are switched on to determine a driver's speed with lightning-fast accuracy. This leaves a radar detector little opportunity to scan and detect the radar signal. Pop radar may sound ominous, but a new crop of radar detectors--including the Escort Passport 8500 X50--offer Pop radar detection. Escort claims that the 8500 X50 is the most powerful and advanced radar detector ever, with the supreme sensitivity required to detect low-frequency Pop radar.

Design
Mounting the 8500 in our test vehicle was easy and straightforward. A small suction cup bracket slides into the unit's release mechanism and easily attaches to the windshield with light pressure. The unit is housed in a sturdy plastic case that's low profile and compact--although it is larger and heavier than Escort's wireless offering, the Solo S2. The rear of the unit is dominated by a receiver window and there's a rear-facing laser detector window designed to detect laser signals emanating from behind the vehicle.



Digital Signal Processing (DSP) provides maximum range, with minimum false alarms.
The Escort 8500 has a suprisingly simple control layout. Two buttons on the top of the unit control sensitivity settings and display brightness. They also double as selection buttons when the unit is in programming mode. The left side of the unit sports a volume dial. A mute button is positioned on the front panel next to the large, horizontal LCD display which, during normal use, graphs the intensity of the radar and laser signals the unit detects. Power is supplied by an included Escort SmartCord, which plugs into a cigarette-lighter power socket. The SmartCord features an alert LED, as well as a built-in mute button-- two handy additions.

Features
The 8500 can detect all of the radar bands currently in use in North America for speed detection, including the X, K and Ka bands. The unit also features detection diodes for laser detection, but for the most powerful protection from laser detection, Escort offers the ZR3 laser jamming system, which is plug-and-play compatible with the 8500.

The feature that separates the 8500 from other Escort radar detectors, as well as the entire previous generation of radar detector technologies, is its Pop radar detection capabilities. Pop radar guns, while still relatively rare in police departments, are used to identify speeding vehicles in traffic. They provide little warning as the radar signal idles at a low frequency until it transmits an extremely short, high-frequency burst to 'Pop' a target. The 8500 is equipped with a highly sensitive receiving system and a digital signal processor designed to pick up Pop signals from a safe distance. Pop detection is not enabled by default in the 8500, however; users must turn it on in the settings menu. Escort probably chose to disable Pop detection by default because its increased sensitivity also increases false alerts. However, first-time radar detector users might be in for a surprise if they neglect to turn it on.



The Passport 8500 X50 provides 3 types of warning displays to choose from.
Audio alerts are the most important feature of any radar detector, and the 8500 doesn't disappoint in this department. Warning tones get progressively louder as a threat approaches, and users can set the unit to deliver warnings at preprogrammed volume levels. Each radar band--including Pop radar--has a distinct tone, making it easy to quickly discern threats. The 8500's 'AutoMute' feature automatically lowers the volume level of an alert after a period of time.

False alarms are one of the major annoyances of radar detector use. ln our tests, the 8500 was surprisingly adept at minimizing false alarms from home garage door systems, as well as home and commercial security systems that commonly operate on X-band radar. The unit's city sensitivity setting decreases sensitivity to X-band sources, while the highway setting does not. We found the unit's powerful 'AutoSensitivity' mode the most accurate, however, as it dynamically filtered all types of radar signals and identified which sources were a legitimate threat. We got a few false alarms, but for the most part, annoying chirps from bogus X-band sources were uncommon.

The 8500 has nine built-in customizable settings. ln the settings mode, the LCD acts as a menu system that lets users control display brightness, automatic mute, audio tones, and power-on modes. There are also settings for disabling detection of selected bands. We liked the expert mode settings, which allow a user to get a constant picture of the intensity of all the radar bands in the area. The SpecDisplay, which is a feature exclusive to the 8500, displays the actual numeric frequency of the radar signal being received.

For those living in states that prohibit use of a radar detector, the 8500 does include VG-2 radar detector detector protection, which is designed to both alert the driver and shut down the unit's oscillator.

0n the Road
We used the 8500 on a 20-mile stretch of busy interstate and were impressed with the low number of false alarms we received. Again, this remarkable level of accuracy is due to the unit's AutoSensitivity feature. While we encountered no police radar, other controlled tests of the 8500's performance have put the reliable range of detection at 2 miles for all bands. Meanwhile, Pop mode tests place the reliable detection range between 500 and 1000 feet.

Pros
  • Well-designed controls and display features
  • AutoSensitivity feature greatly reduces false alarms
  • Highly accurate with massive detection range
Cons
  • Pop detection not enabled by default



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Testimonials
Average Buyer Rating: out of 5 stars

Buyer's feedback: 1 out of 5 stars - * Won't last ...
Well after a year or so, especially if it's exposed to any kind of heat, the capacitors wear out and you're gonna start to get a slew of "false laser" alerts. The customer service folks will politely explain that you can send it back for $60 and hope they will fix it ... :-(


Buyer's feedback: 4 out of 5 stars - Great Detector
I've had this detector one month now and very impressed with it. The first thing that I noticed was how many fewer falses that I get than compared to the Whistler Pro 78 or Bel V955 which I have used. I do mostly city driving with it and usually get about a half to one mile warning. It costs a lot more but you get what you pay for in radar detectors. One thing to remember laser is deadly. No detector will give you enough if any warning time from a laser gun.


Buyer's feedback: 5 out of 5 stars - * Excellent ...
I have been using it on and off for the last month or so. It works great, I have had very little false alarms, I recommend it to every passionate driver.


Buyer's feedback: 4 out of 5 stars - great detector with a crappy power cord
The smart cord needs replacing about every year because it always shorts out near the modular plug. I bought a different detector just so I won't have to keep on paying Escort for more cords.


Buyer's feedback: 1 out of 5 stars - * Defective & overpriced ...
I got a 8500 x50 blue in 2006. First one was defective.... it kept showing "Service Required" messages. The replacement just died in July 2008 -- it won't turn on. It seems to have this trouble on/off for some time but a simple unplug/plug would fix it. Not this time. I read it seems 2006 was a bad year for Escort. My prior Bel's were just as good and lasted many years.Also the clip for visor it too tight and the rear sensor is blocked by the cushion visor

read more customer reviews on Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)

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Display) (Red Detector Laser and Radar X50 8500 Passport Escort
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