9500ci X and X versus my STi...

[MEM-TEK]

Hi everyone,

I have done a temporary installation of my 9500ci's radar antenna next to my rear view mirror and closely located to my STi which is installed above the left side of my rear view mirror. I thought that I would share some videos which I have placed on what will be either page 2 or page 3 of my eventual 9500ci review:

MEM-TEK's Escort 9500ci Review

I prove in my videos that the 9500ci (and the Bel STi-R which uses the exact same tweaked radar horn assembly) has significantly better K band sensitivity compared to my STi. Note that my 9500ci's K band sensitivity already has bested two V1 radar detectors at the Atlanta jammer testing event last weekend, one of which just returned from a factory tune-up.

I am not trying to trash the V1 in any kind of way. I am simply trying to show that the radar antenna used in the Escort 9500ci and Bel STi-R are significantly enhanced with regards to K and Ka band sensitivity. This is important for any remote installed radar detector since the remote installed antenna will be mounted rather low somewhere in the front grille area or possibly behind or under the front bumper.

Anyway, fire away with your thoughts. I have to log off since severe thunderstorms are only 5 minutes away! So, bye for tonight...

[€]

Great job MEM-TEK, as always!
Never had willingness to test different antannas montage options of these remotes (STi-R, 9500ci)? You know, upside down, 7 degrees up, 7 degrees down, etc. It could be really interesting.
Mine one is for example upside down and about 7 degrees up and it works for me the best in this position.
What do you think? Do I err?

[MEM-TEK]

Great job MEM-TEK, as always!
Never had willingness to test different antannas montage options of these remotes (STi-R, 9500ci)? You know, upside down, 7 degrees up, 7 degrees down, etc. It could be really interesting.
Mine one is for example upside down and about 7 degrees up and it works for me the best in this position.
What do you think? Do I err?

When you say your antenna is upside down, do you mean that the serial number sticker is now on bottom of the antenna? Also, the STi radar horns do feature approximately a 15 degree downward vertical flare. So you are splitting the difference at 7 degrees which makes sense to me. I don't think you are in error. Go with whatever setup works the best for you!

P.S. I have now added photos which clearly show the temporary install location of the 9500ci antenna relative to my STi.

[thestaton]

what codec do I need to play these?

if you want I can re-host them for you.

[RadarFanatic86]

you know memtek iam kinda of curious myself, why havent you tryed a v1, I mean the way I look at it, you probally love radar detectors and have tryed many in the past, so why not the v1, and i would love to read a review about the v1 that you wrote.

[MEM-TEK]

I am going to be evaluating a V1 in a couple of weeks.

Well, I guess I have to figure out how to convert these raw AVI files from my cheap video camera into either a proper AVI format or into mpeg. The files play fine when I convert them in my Quicktime player. Time to dig out the software disk which came with this cheap video camera and see if it has a conversion utility.

Here is what Windows tells me about each video file's properties:

cannot find vids:mjpg decompresser

Audio format: IMA ADPCM,8,000 Hz, 4 Bit, Mono

Video format: 320 x 240, 1186 Frames, 9.711 Frames/Sec, 69 KB/Sec, Unknown Format

[TSi+WRX]

How much does mounting position affect the performance of these remote-mount systems?

IIRC, at the last summer Shootout with RacerX present, his SR7 setup returned stellar performance, but many thought it may have had something to do with its unconventional mounting (high-center, above the inside RVM, on what's already quite a high vehicle, a previous-generation Toyota Tundra).

This also translates to the stand-alone, in-car detectors, but I can't help wondering if perhaps placement, along with the seemingly increased sensitivity of the 9500ci, can both work to its favor, and that the V1 is being rather unfairly compared-to in this instance.

Any thoughts, MEM-TEK ?

[€]

When you say your antenna is upside down, do you mean that the serial number sticker is now on bottom of the antenna?

Yes, exactly.

Also, the STi radar horns do feature approximately a 15 degree downward vertical flare. So you are splitting the difference at 7 degrees which makes sense to me.

When I looked into my 9500ci's antenna casing ( yes, I did it ) it was my first thought.

Do I remember well that STi-R antenna is just upside down when you compare it to 9500ci? If so, isn't it TOO downward? Or from the other side - doesn't 9500ci's antenna look too high (when mounted properly)?

[MEM-TEK]

...Do I remember well that STi-R antenna is just upside down when you compare it to 9500ci? If so, isn't it TOO downward? Or from the other side - doesn't 9500ci's antenna look too high (when mounted properly)?

The antenna housing and internal antenna mounting are identical in both the STi-R and in the 9500ci. The dash mount STi's antenna flares mostly downward with a flare angle of about 15 degrees. The STi-R and 9500ci antenna cases, when oriented so that the serial number stickers are on the top side, will have their antennas oriented exactly the same as in the dash mount STi such that their antennas flare downward. If you mount your STi-R or 9500ci antenna behind or under your front bumper then I recommend mounting the antenna upside down such that the serial number sticker faces the ground and then angle the front of the antenna approximately 5 degrees downward. If you can mount your STi-R or 9500ci antenna higher up in your front grille then I recommend mounting it such that the serial number sticker faces towards the sky and angle the antenna no more than a few degrees upward.

[MEM-TEK]

How much does mounting position affect the performance of these remote-mount systems?

IIRC, at the last summer Shootout with RacerX present, his SR7 setup returned stellar performance, but many thought it may have had something to do with its unconventional mounting (high-center, above the inside RVM, on what's already quite a high vehicle, a previous-generation Toyota Tundra).

This also translates to the stand-alone, in-car detectors, but I can't help wondering if perhaps placement, along with the seemingly increased sensitivity of the 9500ci, can both work to its favor, and that the V1 is being rather unfairly compared-to in this instance.

Any thoughts, MEM-TEK ?

I totally agree. Wait until later this evening when I post a video where I had my 9500ci's antenna atop my dash and then move it up high next to my RVM while targeting a very distant K band door opener. The video will clearly show the detection advantage due to radar reflections off of my car's hood.