9500i - Ramp up issue ot not?

[GoHawks63]

Reading the Veil Guy's blog got me wondering about the ramp up complaints on the 9500i.

When I was approaching the cape I was stuck in traffic on the bridge. The V1 rightly alerted to a weak K-band source that was ahead. It turned out the a patrol vehicle was on the center median facing perpendicular (north) to my west-bound approach around and to the left on the road. The Passport 9500i was silent. Aaaah, relief - the sound of silence. When switching the detector back to highway mode, the 9500i alert to K-band. Desiring peace and quiet, I returned the 9500i to AutoSensitivity mode. It remained quiet at even 30 feet away and facing directly at the patrol car. It wasn't until I crossed a 15 foot threshold that the 9500i alerted at a full strength. My approach speed was about 3-4 miles an hour. It feels to me that detector is not actually less sensitive in this mode, but uses a variable squelch mechanism to obtain its silence.

The more I moved at a snail's pace toward my final destination for the evening, the more I appreciated the Passport 9500i's new innovative feature as the detector remained silent with every signal to which the V1 alerted. No need for aspirin with this one.

I am warming-up to this detector more every day, I drive with it.


For those who have complained about ramp-up, can you provide more info on speed during those times?

Escort advertises that the 9500i varies it's sensitivity based on vehicle speed. Could it be that if you're creeping along below 30mph, the 9500i will give you a slow beep due to the fact that you really aren't going very fast until you are very close to the source?

If this is the case, this advanced feature may be more of a negative since it gives the perception of less sensitivity. This would require all experienced RD users to have to unlearn what we've become accustomed to (getting signal as early as possible regardless of speed), and now trust that the detector will now take it upon itself to determine your potential risk based not only on the type of signal received, but also taking into account your speed.

Thoughts?

[KnightHawk]

The ramp up issue happens when it detects an alert, it does not give you a gradual increase in strength as you get closer to the source of the radar signal. If you will notice, the tone alert starts with slow K band alert beep.... beep and gets to full steady beep. In numbers, you get a 1-2 signal strength and boom to 10. There is no in between like you see with the X50 rev 5 or the V1. It does not give you an idea that you are getting closer to the source or LEO until you get the full strength. The ramp up has nothing to do with sensitivity and in your case, you did not detect K band in A mode at a farther distance because sensitivity was decrease automatically in speeds oe 3-4 mph and switching it to H mode was able to pickup signal at a farther distance. Ramp up has nothing to do with speed. It is sensitivity to radar sources that is variable with speed in A mode. Only affects K and possibly X band. ka band is always at full sensitivity regardless of speed in A mode.

Hope that helps.

[statusquo]

I haven't understood the 1-2 Ka alert when I'm within the CA CHP cars. Not their bikes for some reason. They seem different.

I don't know if their car units have some sort of leakage as to why the 9500i shows those 1-2 strength bands on the display. Escort says it's due to the car emitting a always on Ka band to determine the car's speed. Seems like a lot of bull, but who knows?

I did see mid-bands when the tailgating CHP who followed me 35 miles was playing with his unit. I did get some mid-LED displays, but often it would rush into the full display LED so I could only assume he was shooting IO. I still feel they can alter their power output to a degree, but honestly, I don't know. This was with the x50 though as the 9500i wasn't out then.

I do know that in Los Angeles I got a Ka hit and it was very strong on the 9500i. Turned out he was maybe 2-3 miles distant on the freeway when I finally saw him in his car. He was head-on and stuck in stop-and-go traffic during grid-lock in his direction. I think he was looking for an excuse to jump the lanes (dirt median on the 23 in Simi Valley) and go the opposite direction.

Still, it would be nice if they had a more linear approach to the ramp up. Hopefully, they could address it, if and when (if ever) they do some sort of home-user update thingy.

But like I said, the bike Ka units seem to behave differently than the car units. No leakage signal detected with them. The moto cops seem to have a better sense of IO tactics than the car-bound ones. They also like to visually estimate and PACE a bit more. If you get stopped by the bike cop, you are almost assured of getting a ticket (i.e their traffic "enforcement" division).

[GoHawks63]

The ramp up has nothing to do with sensitivity and in your case, you did not detect K band in A mode at a farther distance because sensitivity was decrease automatically in speeds oe 3-4 mph and switching it to H mode was able to pickup signal at a farther distance. Ramp up has nothing to do with speed. It is sensitivity to radar sources that is variable with speed in A mode. Only affects K and possibly X band. ka band is always at full sensitivity regardless of speed in A mode.

Hope that helps.

Well which is it?

You first say that the ramp up issue has nothing to do with sensitivity (first part of the quote), and then the 2nd to last sentence you say "It is sensitivity to radar sources that is variable with speed in A mode".

The latter is what I'm referring to. If you are going slow, it could be giving you a slow alert (due to speed sensitivity) until you happen to get right up to the source.

[KnightHawk]

The ramp up has nothing to do with sensitivity and in your case, you did not detect K band in A mode at a farther distance because sensitivity was decrease automatically in speeds oe 3-4 mph and switching it to H mode was able to pickup signal at a farther distance. Ramp up has nothing to do with speed. It is sensitivity to radar sources that is variable with speed in A mode. Only affects K and possibly X band. ka band is always at full sensitivity regardless of speed in A mode.

Hope that helps.

Well which is it?

You first say that the ramp up issue has nothing to do with sensitivity (first part of the quote), and then the 2nd to last sentence you say "It is sensitivity to radar sources that is variable with speed in A mode".

The latter is what I'm referring to. If you are going slow, it could be giving you a slow alert (due to speed sensitivity) until you happen to get right up to the source.

The later is more on sensitivity with regards to speed which was what you experienced in your case and is not the ramp up issue. The ramp up issue is the first explaination i did once you start to get an alert.