Anything special about the "12 Volt DC Power Cord" and "USB Cable" they offer, or are they available elsewhere cheaper?
Anything special about the "12 Volt DC Power Cord" and "USB Cable" they offer, or are they available elsewhere cheaper?
Other third party USB cords can be used BUT you have to be sure they have the correct pins where they insert into the detector. There are two pin-types out there and you need the correct one. A USB cord from my auto's portable GPS fit but not the cord from my digital camera.
Other 120v to 12v power converters can be used but may not be worth the hassel. I use a 12v Micronta power supply that I converted to allow me to plug in the the RD's power cord.
BUT. . .I see that ESCORT now has a "3 year Gold Plan" that gives you 3 years of updates, a 3 year extended service plan, plus both USB and 12v power converter cord cords for just under $50!
If that Gold Plan option were available when I purchased my detector last July I would have definitely purchased it. It will save you a lot of time and aggrevationn my opinion and will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
My Canon camera usb cord works fine although I didn't know as I bought one for $12 from Escort when I ought my 9500ix.
If you have a flea market near by you should be able to get both for something like $10 or there about... or try amazon... will have to pay for shipping though...
You can get a 120v to 12v cigarette lighter adapter at Target store.
Check out cell phone accessories and you`ll find that adapter (color white)
for $9 . One side goes to the 120V wall socket and the other side is a female or
a typical cigarette hole or socket.
I bought my 9500IX at BESTBUY and I bought an extra 2 year replacement plan
for $39.
I know Escort 3 yr gold plan is great, but I would rather have a new replacement
radar detector after 2 years (TECHNOLOGY might be better then) than sending it
to escort to just fix it with the same 2 year old technology.
With regard to the ESCORT $49.99 Gold Plan, you also get 3 years of GPS Database Updates in addition to the Extended Warranty and the 2 cords.
What I like about this forum are all of all the various ideas tossed out there by participants.
The cool thing is that the radar antenna within Bel/Escort RDs basically does just one thing -- detect radar signals, and that all of the rest of the magic such as filtering and digital signal processing is entirely set up and controlled by the RD's firmware. So, two years from now and assuming that your RD's firmware has been updated via USB to whatever is then current, your RD will still perform splendidly.
True, new models may become available which offer additional features, but at least your present model which has been updated via USB to the most recent database and firmware will have a higher resale value. I consider this to be a hidden advantage for Bel/Escort's RD models which can be regularly updated via USB.
For those with a bunch of electronic gadgets, here is some more USB cord info for the 9500ix:
A Celestron SkyScout USB cord works.
A Navigon GPS cord works.
A Panasonic Lumix TZ Digital Camera USB cord does not work.
Last edited by poolmon; 03-12-2009 at 12:22 PM.
Bookmarks