8500 v50 vs. 9500i

[justin81]

I know the obvious differences between the two, but what about detection range? I thought the detection capabilities were more or less the same, as is implied on the Escort website. However, I was a bit shocked to see some testing (maybe GOL, I can't recall) that showed the 9500i faired better than the 8500 x50. So, are the detection capabilities better on the 9500i? I thought the difference in price was because of all the GPS stuff, voice alerts, etc. Sorry if this has been asked before.

[MEM-TEK]

Both radar detectors use the same M4 radar horn. One major difference is that the 9500i's horn is mounted upside down to make more room available for the GPS module inside the top of the RD. The upside down mounted horn gives the horn a downward flare. This downward flare gives the 9500i a slight advantage at picking up additional radar reflections off of your vehicle's hood. The other major difference is that the 9500i's local oscillator (LO) board design is somewhat different than the LO board used in the X50. Together these two differences give the 9500i somewhat more Ka band sensitivity compared to the X50 and put the 9500i's Ka sensitivity at a very close second place compared to the V1. The V1 is still king with regards to raw sensitivity on all three radar bands.

[KaPro]

X band and K band are definitely better too.

[Esoterica]

Sorry I have no experience with the 8500 at all, but I can tell you my experience as far as range with the 9500i.

At first I was very disappointed with the range. Driving in Nevada my first few days it seemed like I was getting little to no advanced warning at all, like maybe a one bar Ka warning for a split second then full blast 5 bar alert or "POP" and the cop was right there on top of me with no warning what so ever.

The last time I used a Radar Detector it was at least 20 years ago, like a first generation state of the art (in its day) "FuzzBuster". The thing was annoying with falses all the time, but it had range for days away down the road and once you learned how to interpret it the thing seemed to work great.

Anyhow, out of my flash back and back to today. Like I was saying, I thought the range of this new 9500i was just pathetic, and in all actuality useless for me to of spent this kind of money on. As I've been driving with it more now though I've learned the habits of area law enforcement better and now understand why I was seeing this as a problem. Nevada Highway patrol seems to use mainly Ka band, and they love the instant on feature. Out of likely a hundred hits on my detector now by Nevada Highway Patrol I've only seen one that wasn't blasting me with an instant on hit and it actually happened today. He was setting just on the other side of a hill in the center lane of the highway on the shoulder of on coming traffics side. Cars were popping over the hill top and were instantly right on top of him, this worked to his disadvantage in my case because he was setting there with his gun always on, no time to react once the car popped over the top. So I was able to pick him up as I approached from the other side of the hill, first one bar, steady into 2 bars of Ka so I knew one was around and slowed down from 85 in a 65 and just as I hit the top of the hill I got the full blast alert. I know they frequent that area, but I don't think I would have ever seen him setting there. He had a good hiding spot, but to his disadvantage it also required him to leave his gun on all the time. Over the hill detection, either short or long depending I guess on who you talk to was certainly long enough to give me a very good save.

Something else I must say about the Nevada Highway Patrol, they know their enemy well. They have had to of spent time driving around with radar detectors to hone their counter skills against the users of them, you can see it clearly in all of their techniques like the random instant on then back to quite. I also notice that they love setting in areas that also trigger false alarms. Ok, I've seen the GOL video on the 9500i Escort lockout feature, I don't know what they did, but I use the lockout feature on every X band signal I pick up and on every K band false I conclusively confirm to be a false, and even with these areas locked out my detection of the real threats has so far worked perfectly for me. Of note though, I've only seen a single K band actual alert and it was from one of those stupid pointless your speed is signs, and I've never seen an actual X band alert that wasn't a false. City, County and State police in my area of California and Nevada have so far as I've seen exclusively use Ka band with the exception of one cop who always sets in the same spot in Cali using a laser but I never see him with anyone pulled over. On that same note, I've never seen a Ka band false, so I haven't been able to do a K band lockout vs K band false test like GOL did.

With the instant on that NHP loves to use, range is going to be lousy no matter what your using. They don't just hit cars randomly going down the road with it, they always seem to be very selective and the thing is off again as quickly as it came on. So its not the detector I was cursing its the method I now see that was causing what I thought to be poor range.

However, I had a nice drive today for 173 miles on a 2 lane non divided highway all the way through Northern California. This stretch is a favorite shooting gallery for California Highway Patrol ticket writers. Its just two lanes with very limited legal passing areas, and being in California they have the screwed up laws where cars can travel 65 but trucks or vehicles with trailers are restricted on the same road to 55 and its strongly enforced. So it drives people in cars nuts to be stuck doing 55 in a 65 for 30 minute stretches like this and they know it, when you can pass you speed, or when your coming up to a passing lane you speed to catch the truck up the road ahead of you so you can pass him in time.

CHP from what I have seen like to always leave their guns on, making detection very easy. In this area of California they seem to all use Ka band (with the exception of that one laser cop I mentioned) and the guns are always on unless the car is turned off. I got a good feel for the 9500i range on this drive today, its long and open running along the edge of the Sierra Mountains. I was picking up Ka alerts of oncoming mobile CHP from so far away you could barely even tell there was a car down the road coming at you unless you really looked carefully and squinted. Detection and range were absolutely outstanding for me. In fact, on my return trip down the same stretch I kept getting a one bar Ka alert for about 40 miles. I couldn't see anything up the road ahead of me and the signal never got stronger than one bar so I knew he had to be behind me.In my mirrors though all I could barely make out was a yellow Jeep I had passed a long time ago that was doing 70 in the 65, I was at about 75 at the time because I kept picking up that 1 bar Ka alert and knew there was nothing in the area to cause a false (wasteland). Once I was comfortable thinking he was back behind that Jeep somewhere I stepped up the speed to get out of range of his signal behind me and just as that Jeep was about to be so far back that I couldn't see him anymore I seen the top lights of a CHP car come on behind him in my distance.

If your debating to buy one or the other, certainly buy what you can afford, you don't want to get your heat turned off because you spent your bill money on a radar detector, but for me the Lockout Feature and the GPS marking feature of the 9500i have been invaluable features for me to have in the areas I drive in, it was well worth the slightly higher cost and if all I could have afforded was the 8500 I would have suffered without it for another month of penny saving to get it instead.

Also of note, in town and in "City Mode" (Auto) our city and county police seem to also always like to leave their Ka guns on all the time, so detection is easy and I always have plenty of advance notice without the annoyance of it over ranging and picking them up on streets a block away that aren't even on the same street I'm traveling on. So whether your range is 2 blocks or 2 days down the road, other than the instant on guns of the NHP the range has always been plenty enough for me to avoid getting a ticket.

For the instant on situations I've decided I just need to carry more dead bodies for weight in my trunk, this way the front of my vehicle doesn't nose dive so bad when I lock up the brakes for an instant on alert. As long as there continues to be an endless supply of other people out there who don't know how to drive I'll always have plenty of trunk weight available and satisfaction for my road rage tendencies toward bad drivers. I just wish they'd spend more time ticketing these people who drive too slow talking on their cell phones and bottle necking traffic up rather than the people who drive well in control and slightly over the PSL.

[KaPro]

Excellent post! I've got a stomach ache from laughing! The 9500 is excellent.

[CJR238]

If your debating to buy one or the other, certainly buy what you can afford, you don't want to get your heat turned off because you spent your bill money on a radar detector, but for me the Lockout Feature and the GPS marking feature of the 9500i have been invaluable features for me to have in the areas I drive in, it was well worth the slightly higher cost and if all I could have afforded was the 8500 I would have suffered without it for another month of penny saving to get it instead.

Very good post, I have always said it takes time to really appreciate what the 9500I can do and it’s a bit different than most other RD's.

As far as detection range I have found my 9500I to be extremely good, even around bends in the road picking up radar reflections. If you can spend the extra $$$ on the 9500I its well worth it.
Always keep in mind there is I/O, moving radar and the LEO having the gun sitting on his seat that can give you shorter detection range, just like what Esoterica found out.