BTW, I bought one of the original Cincinatti Microwave Passports back in 1983. I still have it and use it in my 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee (230K + miles). Still works like a champ and gives me about 80% reliability in NJ, where most of the locals still use X-band. The NJ SP use other bands, etc., but I don't usually need to worry about Staties while driving the Jeep.

 

Check out the new Escort 9500. It has GPS capabilities built in to help eliminate false alarms and speed traps.

 

I just ordered a new Valentine 1, expensive at $400 but considering the consequences of getting ticketed, it's cheap.

 

+1 for Bel RX-65 Pro. Which is the best detector depends on where you use it tho - Valentine had too many false alarms in my area - Bel was a better choice for me. Others are right, tho, don't waste your $$$ on a cheap one...Valentine, Escort or Bel...only way to go.

 

I've always thought that GPS built into a radar detector would be the ultimate. If done properly you'd really have to work to get a ticket. I'll have to read up on that Escort 9500, although for the last two years I've been very happy with my V1.

 

I agree with this, but the OP has stated he had a budget, so I still recommend the Bel 920 (or maybe it was a 917?) for his price point. It offers the best performance and a reasonable upgrade path for a fatter wallet.

 

i currently have a escort 8500 blue and i am VERY satisfied with the results. it will pick up signals from about 2 miles away. not as good as the V1 but still worth the money!!

 

Please consider the Whistler Pro 73. Great value and I have not gotten a ticket yet.

 

I will second the whistler pro series. I have the whistler pro 58, it has the same performance as the 73 without the voice alert. For the under a $100 dollars category this is a great deal.

Andy P.

 

Not to crap on this topic, but why not just go the speed limit? People are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to circumvent speed laws instead of just doing the speed limit. If you want to race or have some fun in your car, do so at the track or on roads where there isn't heavy traffic and generally no police (yes that is hypocritical, but hell.. .you do own an RX8 ).

That being said... yes I have owned a few radar detectors, and bottom line is there's no magic tool that shields you away from the law. It may get you out of a few tickets here and there, but I can guarantee 1 out of every 3 people that have had radar detectors... have had at least one ticket). To me... that couple hundred bucks could be put towards a nice navi or something of that nature. That's my $.02.

 

Even when I am doing the speed limit, I like to know where the NJ staties are! Police are just too militant these days and looking for an excuse.

 

Pretty sweet thread with some great link inside.

My question.... do radar detectors pick up false alarms from toll booths as well? Where I live, many exit ramps have unmanned toll booths on them. So even if I'm just driving by on the highway, I would think I would be getting false alarms at every exit? Or even if I'm approaching one on the main highway.... (I have an E-pass so I blow right through them)

 

Here's my thread on the Escort 9500i installed in my RX-8. (I believe I'm the first person on this board to install one)

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/escort-passport-9500i-installed-113643/


With that said, the 9500, is unfortunately out of the budget range of some people. The good news is that the 8500 has dropped in price and you can pick up a used one for cheap on ebay.
I'm a BIG fan of the V1's range but I don't know if I could stand all the false alerts it gives all day.

 

firedude, as for the toll plazas, I can only speak from my own experience. I drive toll roads EVERY day to get to work and they have never set off my 9500i.

Hopefully it's that way for other states as well.

 

i have the v1, sorta annoying haha damn beeping everywhere

 

After a while you get used to the occasional beeps and now I feel like I'm seriously missing something when driving in a car that doesnt have a V1.

You can also disable X band alerts as pretty much nobody in a developed country uses X band for anything but automatic doors(which causes the majority of false detections).

I love my V1.

 

the 8500 x50 still works great! doesn't get set off by toll roads in cali either.

 

THAT right there is why I went with the 9500i

 

that's true. i've only got hit once by an x-band where i 'thought' it was a cop. and that was my x-band beeping as a cop pulled passed me. all the other cops i have run into w/ my detector used ka-band. and i get k-band for sliding door entrances.

 

X band was last widely used in the 80s. Most systems are now using Ka for reliability and instant-on. Unfortunately no system will protect you from instant on, but since they have to hit you twice (for calibration) you do have a very short window to reduce speed. I'm told it's 2 seconds.

X-band can also be caused by leaky radar devices(detectors included)

 

Here's what I get in SoCal (sorry for the slight topic deviation)

- K band = sliding doors and those Speed Devices that are popping up everywhere. You drive past, they display your speed, you ignore it, and it says, "slow down" Not sure if it's just a Cali thing

- X Band: very rare. Only once or twice have I seen police driving near me when I got an XBand

- Ka: ALWAYS a police officer of some sort. This seems to be there standard radar used here.

 

Yup, everytime i see Ka i slow down/look out.

 

I'm using an Escort cordless and it works great. I would not recommend using a cordless unless you move it from car to car frequently. I'm in a rental every week so it is perfect for me.

 

a co-worker of mine has an Escort cordless for his car and he likes it a lot. He drives a convertible CLK so he doesn't want to take any chances.

 

Do you (or other people on the board) have the E-Pass in your state? I figured with it always attempting to detect a car driving under it, it would be very similar to a sliding door signal. No idea what band the toll booth uses though...

I was thinking of getting one of the Pro series Beltronics. They can be had for like $230 shipped and rated slightly under the V1 in most tests. Freakin $400+ for the V1....