Question about TrueLock on 9500i with multiple alerts

[RadarKid]

Tonight while testing the new 9500i, I came upon a Walgreens that frequently gives a strong false alert from its doors. I pulled into its big parking lot and was about to block the signal when (while in Expert Mode) I picked up an additional signal. One was K, and the other was X. I don't recall which was from the Walgreens to be honest. So I drove around the parking lot once or twice, and on the 2nd pass when I got the one signal for the Walgreens door I locked it out.

Now across this intersection quite a ways, is a Stop & Shop that I assume that second alert was coming from. I drove across the intersection while the GPS showed it was blocking a signal out. Once in the Stop & Shop parking lot, it continued to show it was locking out a signal, and I got 0 alerts within that area.

What was going on? Is it possible I locked out BOTH signals at once?
Although I'd assume in the standard bar graph mode, where it only alerts to 1 signal (whichever it decides is the most important threat), it blocks only the current displayed threat.....what happens in Expert mode when more than one threat is being detected at once? Are you blocking out whatever is displayed with one single LockOut? Or was the secondary source something else (not the Stop & Shop) and perhaps the Stop & Shop either wasnt alerting me because I was going slow...OR was the same frequency/band as the Walgreens?

I guess best bet is to go back there, and unlock the area and try to determine EXACTLY what each alert is (band/source).

Looking for help from you experience 9500i guys

[djrams80]

Tonight while testing the new 9500i, I came upon a Walgreens that frequently gives a strong false alert from its doors. I pulled into its big parking lot and was about to block the signal when (while in Expert Mode) I picked up an additional signal. One was K, and the other was X. I don't recall which was from the Walgreens to be honest. So I drove around the parking lot once or twice, and on the 2nd pass when I got the one signal for the Walgreens door I locked it out.

First off, you should not lockout signals by driving up to them, you should lockout signals where you normally drive, on the street. The reason for this is that, we think we've made a correlation such that the stronger the signal, the larger the lockout area. This could get dangerous if a LEO is running radar in your large lockout area.

Now across this intersection quite a ways, is a Stop & Shop that I assume that second alert was coming from. I drove across the intersection while the GPS showed it was blocking a signal out. Once in the Stop & Shop parking lot, it continued to show it was locking out a signal, and I got 0 alerts within that area.

What was going on? Is it possible I locked out BOTH signals at once?
Although I'd assume in the standard bar graph mode, where it only alerts to 1 signal (whichever it decides is the most important threat), it blocks only the current displayed threat.....what happens in Expert mode when more than one threat is being detected at once? Are you blocking out whatever is displayed with one single LockOut? Or was the secondary source something else (not the Stop & Shop) and perhaps the Stop & Shop either wasnt alerting me because I was going slow...OR was the same frequency/band as the Walgreens?

I guess best bet is to go back there, and unlock the area and try to determine EXACTLY what each alert is (band/source).

Looking for help from you experience 9500i guys

You can definitely lockout more than one signal at a time. In my opinion, your best bet to determine which signal is what is by using spec display and highway mode.

[CJR238]

Tonight while testing the new 9500i, I came upon a Walgreens that frequently gives a strong false alert from its doors. I pulled into its big parking lot and was about to block the signal when (while in Expert Mode) I picked up an additional signal. One was K, and the other was X. I don't recall which was from the Walgreens to be honest. So I drove around the parking lot once or twice, and on the 2nd pass when I got the one signal for the Walgreens door I locked it out.

If you wanted to lock out all the signals at walgreens you did what your superposed to do, however if you wanted to lock out the false on your rout, you would of needed to do it as you passed by it on the street. Like what djrams80 said.

Now across this intersection quite a ways, is a Stop & Shop that I assume that second alert was coming from. I drove across the intersection while the GPS showed it was blocking a signal out. Once in the Stop & Shop parking lot, it continued to show it was locking out a signal, and I got 0 alerts within that area.

TrueLock works cumulatively, so most likely it was adding falses as you drove by them, including the X or K false. (up to 1/2mi, in 1/10mi increments)
Try unlocking the area again and pay close attention to where and what band does what. You may determine you want to lock out that hole area, or just on your rout you drive by. i have a shopping center where i have done this.

What was going on? Too close a proximity of falses, or accumulative lock out area

Is it possible I locked out BOTH signals at once? Yes

Although I'd assume in the standard bar graph mode, where it only alerts to 1 signal (whichever it decides is the most important threat), it blocks only the current displayed threat.....No it will block out all the 9500I sees not just what it shows. Use Expert mode.

what happens in Expert mode when more than one threat is being detected at once? It will show and alert to both. it will also lock out both if you want it to (but at least you can see its doing it). However there is a way to only let the 9500I see only 1 when there is 2.

Are you blocking out whatever is displayed with one single LockOut? Yes. and maybe what its not displaying. Especially if your not in expert mode.

Or was the secondary source something else (not the Stop & Shop) and perhaps the Stop & Shop either wasnt alerting me because I was going slow...OR was the same frequency/band as the Walgreens? Possibly.

I guess best bet is to go back there, and unlock the area and try to determine EXACTLY what each alert is (band/source). Yes, use speck mode first than use expert mode.

TrueLock works cumulatively, so most likely it was adding falses as you drove by them.
Try unlocking the area again and pay close attention to where what band does what. You may determine you want to lock out that hole area, i have a shopping center where i have done this.

I would say read my hole thread again if you haven't already, and look closely at section 3 & 5.

[MEM-TEK]

Hi RadarKid,

I see you got your new toy!

The 9500i does not display every signal which it is detecting before you lock out any false signals. The 9500i is also smart enough to add any signals which it detects (and note where they are located) very close by to the area where you locked out whatever false signals that your 9500i was detecting. As others mentioned, never lock out false signals by driving up really close to the false signal sources. This unnecessarily causes the 9500i to set a huge lockout radius which could be up to 1/2 of a mile wide! Driving really close to a false signal source can also cause an overload within the 9500i where it can't exactly determine the frequencies to be locked out. Thus the range of locked out frequencies could be overly broad rather than being more specific to the actual detected frequencies from a further distance.

I will put it another way. First, no RD manufacturer can counter signal overload problems if you get really close to a false radar source. (Well, they could, but then the RD's sensitivity would be horrible.) This is why you should, as shown in Escort's graphics and videos, only lock out locations as you are close to passing by them. That way you are assured of being far enough away from the false radar sources such that the 9500i can accurately "see" what frequencies to lock out, and to assure that these locked out frequencies will only be in effect for a 1/10 mile radius or less. If you never get closer than 100 feet from a false radar source, then you are good to go. Unfortunately some drug stores are built really close to the road. PM me and I will tell you how to deal with pesky door openers which are really close to the road.

If, after locking out a location, you encounter a cop in the same area who is using either X or K band radar, then go back to the locked out location, clear it, and lock it out again once the cop is gone. Its not so much that the cop's radar gun accidentally got locked out, but instead it is because his radar gun output is so very strong. This can trigger the 9500i into setting the lockout radius to a huge 1/2 mile radius for all of the false frequencies.

So, it boils down to...

-- Don't lock out nothing if you are really close to any microwave door openers.

-- After locking out a location, look for any cops operating radar within 1/4 mile of where you locked out some false sources. If a cop is present, then clear the lockout location, wait until the cop is gone, and then lock out the location again.

[RadarKid]

OK, same situation. I have a K band signal from a OfficeMax, and a X band from a Walgreens. They're less than a 1/4 of a mile from eachother but 2 completely separate bands of radar.

SEVERAL TIMES - I tested this by unlocking all blocked signals from TrueLock, then moving by one of the sources (either OfficeMax or Walgreens) in Spec and Expert modes to confirm I was only picking up 1 form of radar (the specific door I was passing or nearbye with no trace of the other).

At which time I'd lock out that 1 single band K or X and then leave the area after it confirmed it was locked out.

Traveling past the other source immediately after (the detector had stopped showing the spinning GPS signal) it again starts to spin from the other band of door opener.

I confirmed this was the case by even driving into their lots to confirm the frequencies and bands.

WTF!?!?!?!

I'm having serious doubts about the TrueLock now....if its able to lock out 2 different bands at once from 2 different sources when you only blocked 1 of the sources out...whats that say about risk if a cop is in the area!?!?

Unless someone can explain this to me and how to fix it, I'm probably going to either keep the 9500i and never use TrueLock, or send it back for a new 8500 X50 again.

Or possibly sell the brand new 9500i to someone that wants it (its a day old) and buy a Valentine to try it.

So pissed right now.

[Sajin]

Buy a V1 you will love it.

[djrams80]

OK, same situation. I have a K band signal from a OfficeMax, and a X band from a Walgreens. They're less than a 1/4 of a mile from eachother but 2 completely separate bands of radar.

SEVERAL TIMES - I tested this by unlocking all blocked signals from TrueLock, then moving by one of the sources (either OfficeMax or Walgreens) in Spec and Expert modes to confirm I was only picking up 1 form of radar (the specific door I was passing or nearbye with no trace of the other).

At which time I'd lock out that 1 single band K or X and then leave the area after it confirmed it was locked out.

Traveling past the other source immediately after (the detector had stopped showing the spinning GPS signal) it again starts to spin from the other band of door opener.

I confirmed this was the case by even driving into their lots to confirm the frequencies and bands.

WTF!?!?!?!

I'm having serious doubts about the TrueLock now....if its able to lock out 2 different bands at once from 2 different sources when you only blocked 1 of the sources out...whats that say about risk if a cop is in the area!?!?

Unless someone can explain this to me and how to fix it, I'm probably going to either keep the 9500i and never use TrueLock, or send it back for a new 8500 X50 again.

Or possibly sell the brand new 9500i to someone that wants it (its a day old) and buy a Valentine to try it.

So pissed right now.

You can't just drive to the point where the satellite icon has stopped spinning, you must drive completely outside the Truelock radius and beyond. Then power cycle your 9500i. If you are still inside the Truelock radius, the 9500i will look to lockout every signal it finds. Why are you trying not to lockout a false alert anyhow?

[CJR238]

One more time...TrueLock is cumulative... If you get an X band false then pass a K band false right after you lock out you will lock out both if its within ~1/10mi of last falses end. If you want to only lock out the one go the other way. Don’t let the 9500I see the other false at any time, than power it down.
What you are doing is telling the 9500I that you want to lock out both falses.


Read my thread please:
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...fo-tricks.html

[MEM-TEK]

OK, same situation. I have a K band signal from a OfficeMax, and a X band from a Walgreens. They're less than a 1/4 of a mile from eachother but 2 completely separate bands of radar.

SEVERAL TIMES - I tested this by unlocking all blocked signals from TrueLock, then moving by one of the sources (either OfficeMax or Walgreens) in Spec and Expert modes to confirm I was only picking up 1 form of radar (the specific door I was passing or nearbye with no trace of the other).

At which time I'd lock out that 1 single band K or X and then leave the area after it confirmed it was locked out.

Traveling past the other source immediately after (the detector had stopped showing the spinning GPS signal) it again starts to spin from the other band of door opener.

I confirmed this was the case by even driving into their lots to confirm the frequencies and bands.

WTF!?!?!?!

I'm having serious doubts about the TrueLock now....if its able to lock out 2 different bands at once from 2 different sources when you only blocked 1 of the sources out...whats that say about risk if a cop is in the area!?!?

Unless someone can explain this to me and how to fix it, I'm probably going to either keep the 9500i and never use TrueLock, or send it back for a new 8500 X50 again.

Or possibly sell the brand new 9500i to someone that wants it (its a day old) and buy a Valentine to try it.

So pissed right now.

The 9500i was "seeing" the other false radar sources within the lockout radius, and automatically added them to the list of frequencies needing to be locked out. Expert mode does NOT show you every single source since, sometimes, some sources are close in frequency and will be displayed as one combined signal or since sometimes very weakly detected sources don't register at all on the Expert mode display.

Here are the key things to do and not do when using Truelock:

-- Don't lock out falses when you are literally right next to them. The pegged out signal strength from the false will automatically cause the 9500i to set a lockout radius of 1/2 mile, and the 9500i will automatically add any other signals which it detects within this huge 1/2 mile radius to its list of frequencies to be locked out -- whether or not these weak signals show up on the Expert mode display.

-- Lock out falses only if you are no closer than 200 feet or so from the source so that the 9500i will automatically set its lockout radius the the standard minimum of 1/10 mile. The 9500i will automatically add any other false sources to the list which it detects within this small 1/10 mile radius regardless of whether or not these other frequencies are being properly displayed in Expert mode.

-- Truelock does not stop "learning" about its last locked out location until you drive outside of the lockout radius for that last locked out location and then power cycle the 9500i to commit the data to memory and to stop the learning mode. If you locked out the location by driving right up to the door opener, then the lockout radius was set to 1/2 mile. Thus you would have to drive over 1/2 mile away and then power cycle your 9500i to commit the data to memory. If you locked out the false by not getting really close to it, then the lockout radius should have been set to just 1/10 of a mile. In this case you would have to only drive about 1/4 mile away and then power cycle your 9500i. Alternatively, locking out another location causes the previous location's data to immediately get saved and kills the learning process for that previous location.

So, for your example, you moved close by one of the sources. That is a no-no! In Standard display mode I am sure that your 9500i's signal strength meter would have been pegged out at maximum intensity when you locked out one or the other of the false signals. This caused your 9500i to automatically set the lockout radius to its maximum of 1/2 mile, and caused it to automatically add any other signals being detected within this huge 1/2 mile radius, namely the other X or K band door opener.

So, the moral of the above is to use Truelock like Escort shows on their web site and in their videos. Simply lock out a location once you get fairly close (500ft) but never by driving right up to any door openers. This method will assure that the lockout radius will automatically be set to the minimum 1/10 mile radius. Once you lock out a specific location, just drive roughly 1/4 of a mile away and then power cycle your 9500i to commit the data to memory and stop the 9500i from trying to learn about additional falses in that locked out radius. Alternatively, drive to wherever the next false location is and then lock it out to force the previous lockout data to get committed to memory.

[RadarKid]

One more time...TrueLock is cumulative... If you get an X band false then pass a K band false right after you lock out you will lock out both if its within ~1/10mi of last falses end. If you want to only lock out the one go the other way. Don’t let the 9500I see the other false at any time, than power it down.
What you are doing is telling the 9500I that you want to lock out both falses.


Read my thread please:
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...fo-tricks.html

Video showing locking out of K 24.150 speed sign signal... than alert/spinning icon for less than 1/10mi... than 1/10mi with no radar... than a new radar speed sign ruining K 24.150 and alerting:
YouTube - 9500I truelock 24.150 1/10mi

I powered it down by pulling the plug and repowered it up after blocking the first signal. It still blocked out both bands when I only blocked one.
Is that not what you meant?