Best Mounting Location? - Metal Oxide Windshield Interferes With Reception...

**E36 Phantom** · 06-03-2008, 04:35 AM

I'm moving out of my dorm room in the next couple weeks and just drove back to the Bay Area last weekend to switch out my beloved 5-Series for the minivan to get my stuff out. It's a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette, and it has the windshield with the metal oxide in it. Yes, I use my RD in a minivan....and drive it in a such a manner to need it, too....lol.

I run a Belscort 8500 X50 (not sure of Rev).
It was mounted dead center, medium low in the windshield.

Anyway, on a clear, slightly downhill stretch of road it picked up a CHP with his radar on driving towards me. Both me and him probably doing about 80. It gave me 2 bars strength about 5 seconds before I saw him (and I was looking at my side of the road), and as he passed it only gave 3 bars. This is obviously not gonna cut it.

I consider myself lucky for the drive down I just made, but I will be driving back from San Diego to the Bay in the dead of night and can't afford that low of warning. And yes, I pick up several cops when I do this route at night. I love the detector in my car, but the metal oxide windshield makes it nearly useless.

So, where can I put it to maximize reception? Is there a segment of the windshield that is not tinted? Is there somewhere that will give me better alerts in spite of the metal? If anyone has a 1997-05 Chevy Venture, Pontiac Montana/Trans Sport, or Olds Silhouette, where you put your RD would be especially helpful. But thanks for any replies, of course.

Cliffs: Borrowing the family van, has a metal oxide windshield that kills RD reception, need somewhere to mount Passport 8500 X50 to maximize reception. Please advise.

Thanks!

**METEORIC** · 06-03-2008, 04:26 PM

You can mount the unit at the top of the windshield and it will get a lot better sensitivity. You have to look closely at the top and you can see where the tint or what ever it is ends. The tint is also in the middle of the windshield at the top, so you have to mount it off to the side pretty much directly above the steering wheel. I run the cord over the rearview mirror so it is not dangling in front of me while I drive.

**E36 Phantom** · 06-03-2008, 06:26 PM

So up above me, above the line? I didn't realize that tint line was where the metal oxide ended. I'll have to check that out, maybe go by a grocery store and see if I can tell a difference. I'll try the RVM thing for the cord, although I have a feeling it may try to pull my mirror in a bad direction. Thanks.

**YTCD** · 06-03-2008, 06:50 PM

Hey, I had the same problem. I have the blue tinted top and never noticed that it was metalic until about 2 weeks ago. But put your mount to where the top of the rd detector is below the metalic tint strip. You can tell by stepping out of the car. The suction and mount can be above the tint strip just as long as the detector is below the tint strip.

Also I will be making a thread on a couple of ideas I have thought of.

**E36 Phantom** · 06-04-2008, 01:59 AM

Meteoric, I went to a grocery store lot and played around. The reception is slightly better at the top, but not by much. When I held the RD out the window I was getting 4-5 bars, at the top of the windshield was 2-3, mid windshield was 1-2.

YTCD, the lower part has the metal oxide. I don't think it's a tint, I think it was built into the whole thing as a climate control feature or something. If anything I get better reception in the tint strip.

**Beatlesfan** · 06-04-2008, 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Meteoric, I went to a grocery store lot and played around. The reception is slightly better at the top, but not by much. When I held the RD out the window I was getting 4-5 bars, at the top of the windshield was 2-3, mid windshield was 1-2.

YTCD, the lower part has the metal oxide. I don't think it's a tint, I think it was built into the whole thing as a climate control feature or something. If anything I get better reception in the tint strip.

Hey there. Most cars that have the metallic tinted windshields have one or two "openings" where there isn't tint for GPS units and RDs. Go back to the grocery store and move the X50 around the whole windshield until you find where you get the best reception. You might also be able to see where there isn't the tint by looking at the windshield from the outside at an angle.

**E36 Phantom** · 06-04-2008, 08:11 AM

Beatlesfan, I've done that, and the car actually has a few areas where it looks like there isn't tint, but it still gets rather poor reception.

One other question, if the detector is pointing out to the left or right (with the windhield curvature), is it going to hurt my range? I'll play with it some more, but that last question makes a big difference as I think the best spots have it pointing away from the center a good deal.

**focalcivic** · 06-04-2008, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Beatlesfan

Hey there. Most cars that have the metallic tinted windshields have one or two "openings" where there isn't tint for GPS units and RDs. Go back to the grocery store and move the X50 around the whole windshield until you find where you get the best reception. You might also be able to see where there isn't the tint by looking at the windshield from the outside at an angle.

I believe that many of the forgein cars have openings on the newer models, as for american, I don't think they planned for future problems.

**METEORIC** · 06-04-2008, 09:44 AM

I have it mounted where it is not level as far as right to left is concerned, but it does face straight and it is level as far as front to back is concerned. If you do not have it facing straight forward it can effect range by a lot as you can see with the GOL’s tests.

**E36 Phantom** · 06-04-2008, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by focalcivic

I believe that many of the forgein cars have openings on the newer models, as for american, I don't think they planned for future problems.

+1
American car engineering just isn't up to par with Euro/Asian manufacturers.
It's better now than before, but still leaps and bounds behind.

Originally Posted by METEORIC

I have it mounted where it is not level as far as right to left is concerned, but it does face straight and it is level as far as front to back is concerned. If you do not have it facing straight forward it can effect range by a lot as you can see with the GOL’s tests. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

IMG HERE

Ok, great info. I'll go back and play with it some more. Lol. I take it you just bent the bracket a bit and moved one side of the suction cups up or down to get it facing straight ahead laterally?