Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 22
  1. #1

    Default 9500i is working just fine...

    Gang,

    I'm relatively new to RDs but not at all new to Internet discussion forums.

    I've had my 9500i now for a few days and it's working just fine. It picks up a LEO radar in plenty of time for me to slow down.

    The two features that I really love are the speed sensitivity and the ability to mark red light cameras, speedtraps, etc. Beautiful use of GPS technology and something that's been needed for quite a while.

    I've read all of the threads out here about how the TrueLock feature isn't working they way it was advertised. That may be true but I have to ask: Is that REALLY a dealbreaker? Be honest here. Let's say you lock out an area because there's some stupid door opener at the grocery store that's sending you a false hit. Is this also a place where you're really likely to be speeding anyway?

    I see all of the notes here about "Send it back" and it sure seems to me that some of you are making a bigger deal out of this than is warranted. If you're sending it back because you absolutely HAVE to have that feature and the 9500i doesn't deliver it, then your logic there is flawed because no other manufacturer offers it either.

    Again, let's just be brutally honest here. Are you sending it back to make a point with the manufacturer? I guess I just see it a bit differently. The TrueLock isn't something I care about. I'm not going to be moving all that fast in locations where a door opener is going to trigger the RD. The GPS integration is nice and that's why my 9500i is working just fine. It's almost the same price as the other high end RDs and none of them offer GPS integration. Even if we set the TrueLock feature aside, the 9500i still has some nice benefits.

    -Charles
    Raleigh, NC

  2. #2
    Experienced
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Grosse Pointe, MI
    Posts
    289

    Default

    i dont own a 9500i but if i spent $450 on something i would like it to work as advertised.

  3. #3
    Newcomer
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Rochester, NY
    Posts
    28

    Default

    Hi Charles,

    I agree with you about the automatic doors, I for one am never going to be speeding around where they are so its of no concern to me. Unfortunately my daily commute I wanted to use the lockout feature for doesn't apply to just locking out automatic doors. I drive about 50 miles each day to work and 3 of those miles are highway and are swamped with 2 K band radar drones. Since these are in a spot where LEO's use to set up speed traps I would really have to trust the 9500i lockout feature.

    Since I don't I have a reason to keep the 9500i, the Valentine I started using about a week ago is much more sensitive to K band which a lot of LEO's around here use, and so much on X band that I completely disabled it due to false alerts (never seen a LEO use X either around here). Just yesterday I had an issue with that also (see the Valentine thread for more info).

    In my opinion I think both Valentine and Escort have some problems to fix but I'd rather put up with too much sensitivity and a bug that keeps it that way than not as much and a feature that may get me a ticket.

    I'm still considering returning the Valentine also and sticking it out with my Beltronics 936 Xpress until either manufactures get it together.

    Just my 2 cents

  4. #4
    Newcomer
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Redmond, WA
    Posts
    28

    Default Issue on TrueLock

    I guess I am not sure from what I read that TrueLock always fails. The only experience I have had is that I have locked out a number of K band speed signs on my daily commute. There was a Leo within a block of one of these using Ka band, and I received the proper alert on this. From what some others are saying, would I have not received the alert if he had been using K band? If I received a ticket using K band near a K band speed sign, I would probably go to court and try to plead interference or reflection of the speed sign from another car.
    I need more evidence that the TrueLock is a problem.

  5. #5
    Newcomer
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    24

    Default

    I have the unit and my 30 days is almost up. I am on the fence about returning it. I have had Escorts since mid 80s and never had a V1 -- not opposed to it, just started with Escort.

    The problem with Mark Location feature (not TrueLock), such as speed traps, is that you cannot be receiving a radar signal at the time you want to mark a location -- pressing "MRK" simply does nothing. I consider this a problem because some trips I take are only a couple times a year. If I want to mark an area that has happens to have radar active, Escort tells me I have to return to that area later when no radar is actively being used. That is not how it appears to function even on their demo on their web site. To me that is unacceptable; while on my way to Canada for an annual fishing trip, I am not going to drive back later to Syracuse NY to flag a speed trap.

    TrueLock seems to be working for me; even on K band. I was not able to get the exact frequencies yet/though. Hearing that there are inconsistent results makes me apprehensive about keeping the unit and is one of their major selling points.

    I do not agree about you point "Is this also a place where you're really likely to be speeding anyway?" (near grocery stores). Umm, yah, it is. Typically the speed limits are lower and police love to catch people; doing say 40mph in a 25mph zone -- I would also say these tickets would be hard to argue in court. I live in a small town where a major route runs past several strip malls and see police setup frequently. TrueLock is also another major reason for getting this unit and if it doesn't work, then why spend more or risk it?

    The ramp-up time also is a problem. Why it is different than their previous detectors does not make sense. And as some pointed out, if TrueLock and other features work, why not blast away immediately?

    Again, being an Escort owner for years, if these features are flawed and I won't be using them much, then why not buy a V1 for a little less, arrow functionality, apparently better range overall? Again, remember the point is to detect radar, without the 9500i's ability to perform consistently and/with GPS functionality, it seems that V1 has an edge.

    Lastly I fear that a newer 9500i version, not model, will come out to address these problems and I will be stuck with an early model. I would like to know if the USB connector will be the method for updating the 9500i's software and really be able to correct all of these issues. Escort does not seem to be able to answer this at the moment with any facts. Again, this makes me apprehensive about keeping the unit.

    If Escort could tell us that all of these issues are planned to be corrected via a software update, that could be downloaded and installed with the USB interface, then it is a no-brainer for me. But I don't think we will ever get that answer. Unfortunately 30-days is almost up and I doubt they will give an estimate about even when they will announce anything about these issues.

    It is too bad that these companies do not have their own forums, places to report and list problems, request new functionality, make announcements, post software upgrades, etc. Yes, it could be self-defeating in some cases, but I think most of us would rather be informed rather than kept in the dark. Imagine hitting their site and seeing: "We have found a problem with TrueLock locking out too much of a fequency. We are working on the problem and it should be available as a downloadable software upgrade in 3 weeks."? Right now, being in the dark is making me hold off on keeping the unit.

    Their support has been lacking as well -- like not having all the facts, telling me how TrueLock works when I am discussing the Mark Location feature, not answering all questions I submit to them; but that could be individuals, not the whole company.

    My first post and opinion.
    Good luck.

  6. #6

    Default Let's summarize...

    Gang,

    Several very good responses here:

    Repeter : So you're rejecting the 9500i because it doesn't work as advertised, not because it doesn't meet your needs. Correct?

    Striker444 : You make a point. It sounds to me like for your area the 9500i doesn't do what you need it to do. So if you hadn't already bought the V1 then the 9500i wouldn't be any worse (or better) for you. Correct?

    Temoore : I agree. I don't know for sure that TrueLock doesn't work. I do know I see a lot of posts here with people returning them because they think it's not working as advertised. I think a LEO would have a tough time making a case if he was shooting you with a K band in an area full of K band drones.

    LuvMyG : I guess I'm after the "Mark" feature for other purposes. I want to mark Red Light Cameras mostly. Possibly that one spot on Hwy 1 N where the speed limit drops from 55 to 35. Not to be argumentative, but on a trip to the grocery store, how much time do you really save going 40 in a 25 vs. 35 in a 25? The 40 is almost guaranteed to get you a ticket. The 35 is much less likely. You make an excellent point about being an "early adopter." Who knows what they're going to do?

    I just don't think I've hit any dealbreakers yet. I don't need the TrueLock feature because the speed sensitivity via GPS pretty much squelches all door openers out where I'm driving most of the time. The Mark Location feature is going to be used for Red Light Cameras mostly. I'll let the detector tell me if there's an active radar in the area.

    Thanks!

    -Charles

  7. #7
    Experienced
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Grosse Pointe, MI
    Posts
    289

    Default Re: Let's summarize...

    Quote Originally Posted by charlesml3
    Repeter : So you're rejecting the 9500i because it doesn't work as advertised, not because it doesn't meet your needs. Correct?
    i'm one of those people that doesn't mind my rd picking up non-leo radar sources (i own a v1). what i'm saying is that if you shell out $450 for something all of its features should work properly. yes the 9500i is a good rd but you're paying the premium price for the buggy gps features.

  8. #8
    Power User
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    My Home
    Posts
    3,169

    Default Re: Let's summarize...

    Quote Originally Posted by repeter
    Quote Originally Posted by charlesml3
    Repeter : So you're rejecting the 9500i because it doesn't work as advertised, not because it doesn't meet your needs. Correct?
    i'm one of those people that doesn't mind my rd picking up non-leo radar sources (i own a v1). what i'm saying is that if you shell out $450 for something all of its features should work properly. yes the 9500i is a good rd but you're paying the premium price for the buggy gps features.
    The only bug with the 9500i is that, it is not able to alert to a presence of K band radar from LEO in the lockout zone. There is only one. For those who say there are more than one bug, give me an example.

    Does all of the V1 features work? No..... The J feature is not perfect and they at VR admitted that. Just because of 1 feature that does not work, does not mean you won't buy it. What boils down to is the question "will this radar detector fit my needs? The X50, Rx65 and V1 will just be as good as the 9500i in your area if you don't have a lot of K band auto door sensor.

    What's bad about having the 9500i is not it's features or performance. It's their customer service that sucks. I friend of mine echoed his dislikes about escort's customer service and i can attest to that when i wanted to ask questions about my X50 2 years ago.

  9. #9
    Speed Demon
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Posts
    619

    Default

    I had to send in my X50 once and their customer service was superb.

    Maybe it just depends on which rep you get. I wouldn't generalize about a company based on single experiences, which is why I can't say that they have excellent service either.

    I think the major problem with the 9500i is that the fact that it's locking out something puts goosebumpbs on the back of people's neck's and gives them the suspicion that they aren't fully aware of everything around them, which is why most of us have RD's in the first place: to be aware of our surroundings.

    Trust is a very important factor in liking our own particular radar detectors. I think that's trust that people don't have with the 9500i and that is why they are having problems.

    Some people say well who cares if I hear an alert, I know it's a false because I pass by it every single day. Well I think the real advantage to having a 9500i is to have a quieter ride for your passengers but for yourself too if you care about it. Most people on these forums don't care about getting annoyed with false alerts. Paying $450 to give your passengers a more comfortable ride is not really worth it to a lot of people.

  10. #10
    Power User
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    My Home
    Posts
    3,169

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Synbios
    I had to send in my X50 once and their customer service was superb.

    Maybe it just depends on which rep you get. I wouldn't generalize about a company based on single experiences, which is why I can't say that they have excellent service either.
    He said the guy he talked to was very nice and told him an engineer will call him back. He called a couple days later and a lady answered the phone. He said it was the worse experience. The fact that you were promised to get a call from them never happened expecting to see what they can do to resolve the problem and just dump you in the dark. They could just simply offered a swap but they did not.

 

 

Similar Threads

  1. FCC gives RMR fine!
    By Viper in forum Radar Detectors - General
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 09-09-2010, 10:17 PM
  2. Finally, I think I have my 9500i working
    By mswlogo in forum Escort
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 06-25-2008, 10:47 AM
  3. Looks like your doing just fine!!
    By steagall1000 in forum Blinder Laser Jammers
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 03-31-2008, 11:54 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •