Police grapple with defective detectors
 

LOL radar detector detectors. Maybe Jez can shed some light on this story. LOL Escort 9500 costs $2500 !!

[url]http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/big-flaw-in-police-speed-detectors/2008/07/22/1216492432489.html[/url]

The Escort 9500ci is listed at $2495 on this site [url]http://www.radars.com.au/radar-detectors.php[/url] but eBay has them for around $1300. Anyone know how effective the laser jamming is on this unit?

review on it here [url]http://www.1stradardetectors.com/radar-detectors/passport-9500ci-radar-detector/index.php[/url]

[url]http://www.perth-wrx.com/vb/member.php?u=329[/url] is the expert here, Jez at Delonixradarhas tested or knows someone who has tested most all the detectors out there. Whats the story mate?

The spectre is the cops way of detecting you have a radar detector. All it tells them is someone in the area has a detector.

All detectors have some 'leakage' which is what the spectre units pick up on.

However, with each new model, the radar detector companies make the unit have less and less 'leakage' (who would have thought they would upgrade their designs to combat new technologies, eh?)

Spectre then makes a new RDD to detect the new 'leakage'.

Currently the design of the Bel STi and Escort 9500i has metal shielding to stop the leakage and thus making it invisible to RDD's (this was actually part of the information at launch of the STi, so nothing new there).

There are no RDD's in WA though as we are legally allowed to have a detector. Over east it is a big no no though (with huge fines/points attached).

1200 bucks and 9 points!

The 9500ci sells for $1599.95 USD so around $1890 inc GST in Australia. We have sold 3 of these so far to previous customers.

$1300 on eBay? Would have to be in US dollars? Well you will always find stuff cheaper on ebay.

The 9500ci sounds awesome but typical of stupid Bel / Escort (Escort owns Beltronics) they didn't quite make it perfect. There is no one damn detector that does EVERYTHING.

For example the GPS lockout is great, but there are no plans to have an Australian database available of fixed speed and red light cameras.

Also the 9500ci does not have Ka-narrow like the Bel STi-R does!
You also cannot use the 9500ci without the laser jammers connected, so it's not available as a radar detector only.

The jammers can be set to detect only (not jam) but you still must have them connected.

Initial tests show a detection range of only 100 - 200m on Multanovas, so not very good :( By comparison, the STi-R gets 400+ m warning with it's Ka-narrow filter (and they both use the same antenna)

As far as the initial news story goes, yes it was a lovely waste of tax payers money spending $4k on a radar detector detector when the only RDs being used in NSW are the Bel STi's.

I happen to **cough** know someone whom has one of these Radar Detector Detectors if anyone needs more info.

Lastly laser jamming on the 9500ci:
The 9500ci uses the ZR4 jammer from Escort which has two heads up front and a single rear head. The jammer is a LED based one thou (like the Blinder, GF100 and M18) so it is not as powerful as the diode based jammers like the Laser Interceptor, Anti-Laser and Laser Pro Park.

Initial tests from Escort dealers seemed to favour the results from the 9500ci's jammers, but some independent tests from hobbyists in the US showed that it, like all LED based jammers, has it's weaknesses.

The Guys of Lidar in the USA run independant tests each year and have one coming up at some stage this year (I am forbidden to say when) and they will be doing an in depth test of most of the jammers out there.

Don't jammers set off an alarm on the laser gun letting the cops know you've got a jammer?

Yes absolutely! They are illegal to use in Australia and you should not use them here.

sucked in coppers !!! $200k down the drain!

9500ci is ~$1300 shipped to Aus in $AU.

Pity it doesn't have the Ka lockouts like the STi-R... Would nearly be perfect then!