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Binding: ElectronicsBrand: Escort EAN: 0737795085027 Item Dimensions: Label: Escort Inc. Manufacturer: Escort Inc. Model: 8500-X50-RED MPN: 8500X50RED Publisher: Escort Inc. Studio: Escort Inc. Variation Denomination: Red display Variation Description: Red display Features:
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Editorial Review: Product Description: Introducing the all new ESCORT Passport 8500 X50 - the most advanced and sophisticated detector ever! There's never been a detector like the Passport 8500 X50. The Passport 8500 X50's new "V-Tuned" radar receiver provides extreme range on all radar; conventional and "instant-on" including POP mode, X-Band, and up to 50% more range on the all-important K and Ka bands than the original Passport 8500. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) provides maximum range, with minimum false alarms. Amazon.com 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.
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.
False alarms are one of the major annoyances of radar detector use. In 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. In 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. On 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
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - just as advertisedhas saved me many times; lives up to the advertising; few false alerts. don't leave home without it. Rating: - Works greatI just used this detector on a 4500 mile road trip traveling in the west. Went from Seattle to Vegas, Vegas to Cali, back to Seattle. I never had the unit go off in Nevada, but it gave me warnings about 6 times in California and 4 times in Oregon. These were either cops coming my way on the road with their radars going, or near speed traps. I found the unit gave ample warning in open spaces, and a couple of seconds warning when coming around a bend in the road. Around the 4th of July i hit ... Read More Rating:  - A lot of Bells and Whistles but Little Performance!Got this radar detector and had high hopes for it in light of the price and all the hype. Unfortunately in my first week I got a nasty speeding ticket. The officer had a laser gun and it didn't warn me until it was right in front of me. With this kind of protection who needs protection at all? Sure the slim unit looks great, and I like the talking radar but at the end of the day don't you buy this to avoid tickets? My friend swears by his Valentine, which looks ugly, but really ... Read More Rating: - Has never failed me yetWe now own two of these Escort Passports and think they are excellent. I know for a fact this unit is worth the money. A friend was driving next to me on a toll road, no cars around so our speed increased. My Escort began to show a weak Ka signal. I slowed down but my friend, who had a Whistler, kept accelerating. Then my signal peaked out. I couldn't see any police car and my friend was way ahead of me now. Suddenly, he slammed on his brakes at the top of an overpass and there was the State Trooper - sitting ... Read More Rating: - Does everything I needed it toFirst of all, I am a military brat who has lived and driven in other countries. The only reason that is relevant is because for every state/country I have lived in, there is only one that has provided me the unpleasant experience of having to deal with the police; that place is the Commonwealth of Virginia (where detectors are illegal coincidentally). After purchasing this detector and joining radardetectors.net, I have finally gotten a leg up on the money machine that is law enforcement. People complain ... Read More |
