Cincinnati - new gadget guy in town!

[musikman1]

Ahhhhh, the good ol' daze! I started off back in the mid-70's with the original Fuzz Buster (with that big ol' yellow blinking "eyeball!"

Can't help it. It's a "manly man" thing. I always get a Pavlovian reaction anytime I run into a new gadget.

Hi from Cincinnati OH. My name is Rick, and I'm a 6' pianist (I think I spelled that correctly) and my professional work is as a pit orchestra conductor for musical theatre, and I have a small music studio where we create full orchestra accompaniment track recordings for theatre companies world-wide.

(PSST: Feel free to come visit www dot bway2 dot com slash tracks with 100 of your closest theatre friends..)

RE: Radar detectors

I've been a bit fickle over the years, utilizing first a Fuzz Buster (which was mounted in the pocket of my WindJammer fairing on my Honda 400 motorcycle back in 1974). When it came to the cars, I always appreciated the remote (under the hood) type models. I had the Whistler Spectrum Remote, then the non-remote Valentine1, and finally (currently) followed by the Escort Passport SRX, purchased for $400 from a local Jag dealer that was overstocked.

Well, now it's 4-5 years later, and I'm currently losing saliva over the new Escort Passport 9500ci remote system.

[The Wish List]

I DID make a suggestion to the Escort folks about an extra cost option to offer with the 9500ci - extra laser shifter sensors. With my big flat sided SUV, I would love the option (as Whistler used to offer in their 1430 series, can't say if it's still their available option) to "add" extra sensors to the "kit." The idea of being able to install two sensors closer to the license plate, and two more nearer the headlights (Escort's claim of the only two reliable targets on the front of a vehicle), and an extra dual-sensor option for the BOTTOM of a rear license plate coverage, sort of a triangular coverage - center and wide on top, split left/right sides on the bottom (again Escort claims the rear plate is the only valid target area on the rear of a vehicle, my Tahoe has HUGE flat doors and enormous rear light lenses, but in Escort I trust - I just wish I could option a few extra sensors -grin -). The safe comfort level would be MORE than compensation for the extra cost of the sensors!

Anyhoo, I hope to make a few friends along the way here. If anyone is into installing 12V gadgets in their vehicles, I'm sure we can talk a lot!

My 2004 Tahoe (my "I ain't 18 anymore" playtoy) contains:
- Pioneer Z3 nav/AV unit
- AVC 5KW contiinuous AC inverter, 10K burst rate
- TWO 1250 Amp 12V batteries on a separator to forbid draining of the "car" battery when playing gets too long
- Backup camera in rear door
- Two headrest video monitors with AV selectors
- 12 CD multi-changer
- 6 DVD multi-changer
- AV distribution system
- Bose sound system with on-steering-wheel IR remote
- Passport SRX Radar/Laser detection/shifting
- Upgraded 300A alternator, local custom build
- DEI RF two-way alarm system
- White strobe lights mounted front/rear, used for funeral traffic control
- Extra CD/DVD player in rear for headrest monitors
- Galaxy 95T2 180W CB Radio
- Texas Star 1200W amplifier
- alarm clock!

Ok, so I like my gadgets when I travel. The 5KW Inverter makes carrying along a small refrigerator (120V) and a microwave simple.. The actual purpose of the 5KW inverter is due to summer outdoor theatres, where we sometime run into bad power issues. The 5KW inverter gives us four complete 15A 120V circuits. The two 1250A 12VDC batteries allow the inverter to run 4+ hours without starting the car..

If anyone likes to talk gadgets, tech, music synths, sequencing or the like, I'd love to hear from you!

Rick

[Stealth Stalker]

Now THAT is what a new member introduction should look like!

Dude, that's a bad-arse set-up! Gadget men of the world unite!

A Tahoe is actually what I was going for this time around myself, but the fuel prices are just so unpredictable that I just couldn't justify it any longer. I sure love them though. And I still ended up with most of those same accessories in the car I ended up with (and learned the hard way to never forget to turn the inverter off and not start the car for three days). As you show, all that room just makes for a wonderful platform to customise with gadgets!

I wouldn't loose any sleep over not having extra Shifter heads. They're useless on most cars. Half a dozen of them on the front of your Tahoe probably wouldn't make a difference. If you hope to have any chance at all to beat laser in a Tahoe, you need at least a four head Blinder, or better yet, a Laser Interceptor. Everything else rates WAY down on the scale, comparatively, and would be a real risk on something that big.

As great as their detectors are, Escort just doesn't seem to have the slightest clue of what laser protection is all about. To state that your plate is the only thing to worry about is incredibly ignorant and just shows how clueless they are. You are right; that entire tail end is a big fat target. Everything reflects laser, not just licence plates. Those tail lights are retroreflective, just like the licence plate too. People with rear jammers often still get owned by laser because the rear end is just so hard to protect, as compared to the front. It just amazes me that Escort actually thinks that all police laser shots are only going to hit the licence plate.

The big problem with protecting the rear end is where to mount the sensors. That's going to be a challenge on a Tahoe, but not un-doable. Just takes a little imagination, ingenuity, and artistry. Sounds like you have those attributes going for you.

The remotes are a good choice for overall sensitivity, although they must be optimally mounted in order to realise that potential. If you stick it behind your grille or bumper, they quickly lose that edge and end up with performance lesser than that of a visor mount unit. The Escort 9500ci and the Bel STi-R are the two best out there, by far. The main difference between the two is the inclusion of the extra features in the 9500ci, which include the GPS function to help lock out false alerts, as well as alerting you to known red light cameras and speed traps marked in a database. Other than as sensors, the Shifters are pretty well useless on your vehicle.

There is some controversy about the GPS controlled anti-falsing in the 9500ci. While it is an awesome concept, there are multiple reports of it not being 100 percent reliable in deciding what is a real cop and what is a false alert, and consequently locking out the cop. That means you hear nothing until you hear the siren behind you. We're not getting so many reports of it that it seems to be resulting in thousands of tickets or anything, but it nevertheless remains a significant concern. But, if a quiet cabin is among your higher priorities, that's probably worth it to you. You don't sound like someone who get's too bent out of shape by false alerts though. That being the case, the STi-R may be a better choice for you. Hundreds of dollars cheaper, with similar sensitivity, but not sticking you with the GPS or the overpriced Shifters.

What most serious contermeasure enthusiasts consider to be the ultimate set-up is a remote RD like the 9500ci, paired up with a Valentine 1 visor mounted RD. It offers you the best of both worlds, with increased safety. The V1 has directional arrows and a radar source (bogey) counter to give you the situational awareness to faster locate the radar source and determine if it is a threat or not, which is not offered on any other RD anywhere. The V1 also has superior reaction time to any other detector, giving you a much greater safety edge when the cops are using quick triggered instant-on radar. The Escorts are notoriously slow in this respect, resulting in delayed alerts. Pairing the two together helps you cover all your bases, as well as giving you all available options.

The downside to the V1 is that it is "chatty", meaning it doesn't filter anything out for you. In the city, this will drive some people crazy. Of course, there are advanced programming options for the V1 that allow you to turn entire radar bands off, which will greatly decrease false alert noise. What those with the combination set-up will do is to run the V1 to receive only Ka band (where there are very few falses), and let the 9500ci cover X and K band, filtering those bands where the falses are most common. This results in maximum protection with minimum noise.

If you were to shy away from the GPS aspect, then you still have some other options. Cheetah makes a GPS device to mate with your other detectors that offers the same red light camera and speed trap database alerts, as well as muting your radar detector under certain speeds to keep you sane in the city.

Lots of options out there for a man who enjoys technology like yourself! I look forward to seeing what you end up doing! There is a FAQ in the Laser Jammer section that will help you understand what they are all about, and better choose what you may need.

Best of luck, and welcome aboard. I hope you stick around!

[category4]

Nice setup.

Stealth may be on to something for you. Go with the STi-R and LI's (Laser Interceptor) for jammers. The LI will protect that big SUV MUCH better than the ZR4's.

I have the STi-R and V1 combo on my pickup. There is little to any difference in sensitivity between the 2. The STi-R does seem to false just a bit less than the V1.

The 9500ci is the best remote detector out there, heck best detector out there, but the ZR4's would be almost useless on a Tahoe. Until Escort solves the problem of locking out real threats it's a requirement in my mind that the 9500ci be used in conjunction with a good windshield mount detector.

Welcome aboard!

[brvheart]

wow, about all I can say after that new member write up is - nice set up, glad to see you joined carry on

[Lucky225]

x2 with Stealth, nice introduction, now go to Escort and get a job so you can fill us in with all the insider secrets

[srtga]

Funeral traffic control strobes AND a big radio

Welcome aboard!

[snoopyc4]

Welcome to the forum. Very nice introduction The 9500ci is a great radar detector but the zr4s aren't the best shifters for your vehicle. I recommend getting a LI quad (two heads up front and two in the back)