Newbie post: Escort SRX or 9500ix w/ ZR4

Hello,

This is my first post and I want to thank everyone for the valuable info everyone posts. I have been reading this site since about 9am, and it is 5pm now!!!

I travel around the U.S. a lot, but am currently in the desert area of Cali. W/in a week, got a ticket by a CHP. I am usually a +5ish over the limit kind of guy, but he got me when I was passing a van. :mad: (Is it true that in CA, your first speeding ticket is limited to $100?)

After all that research, I have narrowed it down to the SRX (w/ kill switch) or the 9500ix w/ ZR4 (w/ kill switch). Thanks for teaching me about the kill switch!! I really like the flexibility of the GPS in the 9500ix and the ability to mark a GPS grid, and that seems to be the selling point of it for me.

If I get the 9500ix w/ ZR4 (or M45), does it offer the same "shifting" ability as the SRX? Which one is better, the ZR4 or the M45?

I really like the concealability of the SRX.... As you can see, I am stuck in the middle. I really don't care about the money, I just want to make sure I get a really good system that will work for a couple years.

Thanks for all the intel on this board!
Kyle

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

Hello,

This is my first post and I want to thank everyone for the valuable info everyone posts. I have been reading this site since about 9am, and it is 5pm now!!!

I travel around the U.S. a lot, but am currently in the desert area of Cali. W/in a week, got a ticket by a CHP. I am usually a +5ish over the limit kind of guy, but he got me when I was passing a van. :mad: (Is it true that in CA, your first speeding ticket is limited to $100?)

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No, not true.

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

After all that research, I have narrowed it down to the SRX (w/ kill switch) or the 9500ix w/ ZR4 (w/ kill switch). Thanks for teaching me about the kill switch!!

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You don't need a kill switch. Whichever of these two setups you choose, the jammers can be killed by just pressing the mute button twice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

I really like the flexibility of the GPS in the 9500ix and the ability to mark a GPS grid, and that seems to be the selling point of it for me.

If I get the 9500ix w/ ZR4 (or M45), does it offer the same "shifting" ability as the SRX? Which one is better, the ZR4 or the M45?

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It's my opinion that the ZR3s(SRX) and the ZR4s perform exactly the same. The ZR3s do not jam the Laser Atlanta in stealth mode, but i have never seen one Laser Atlanta anywhere on this side of the country and have not heard of any. The Blinder performs better on most guns, especially the Stalker, but the Stalker is also pretty rare out here. I've never seen one in SoCal, but they are used in NoCal. However, the ZR3s and ZR4s perform better than the Blinders against the TruSpeed, which CHP just bought a boatload of.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

I really like the concealability of the SRX.... As you can see, I am stuck in the middle. I really don't care about the money, I just want to make sure I get a really good system that will work for a couple years.

Thanks for all the intel on this board!
Kyle

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I've had both, the SRX and the 9500ix. I'd say it's a personality thing. I personally prefer the concealability of the SRX, but my girl could not stand all the false alerts. I've since upgraded my SRX to the 9500ci, so now I have the best of both worlds. It's up to you which you think you might prefer more.

What kind of car are you looking to protect? Do you do more highway driving or city driving?

I own both and think the 9500ix/ZR4 combo would be the way to go.

The only advantage of the SRX is that you don't have anything mounted to your windshield.

The the GPS features on the 9500ix put it over the top IMO. (Between these two)

Thanks for responding.

It's a great function to be able to hit mute twice and thanks for telling me, but I think I would prefer a kill switch right next to the steering wheel.

I think it is pretty cool that both you guys have owned both of these setups. It's funny how both of you ended up switching to the 9500ix. I just don't like the idea of it being up in the windshield. Where else could I conceal it? I've read in between the sunshade thingee, but that is kind of ghetto.

And you said your girl didn't like it, well, I usually drive by myself and the concealabilty is definately a factor.

Right now, I have an 08 Toyo Tacoma and drive mostly HWY miles in the desert. My last vehicle was an 06 Inf G35 (which I never got a ticket in!! w/out a RD). Back then, I mostly drove in the City.

So if you were out on I-15, which setup would you guys get.

Thanks for the help,
Kyle

edit: oh, in CA, do you have to have a front liscense plate? What is the fine if is illegal?

FWIW, I didn't "switch" to the ix so much as "add", I run the ix in my work vehicle and the SRX is mounted to our Magnum RT.

As far as falses with the SRX goes, my wife hates the noise from any radar detector, so we disabled the "green" part of the bi-color led that indicates the power is on. (Too bright at night)

We use the display to see that it has power, but we mounted the LED front and center in between the tach and the speedo. We leave the volume at zero, but when the SRX gets an alert the blinking red LED can't be missed.

My biggest problem with the SRX is that mounting the radar antenna in the grill hurts reception. (It's even worse in traffic.) The Newer 9500ci and beltronics STI-R have increased sensitivity that more than compensates for the poor mounting location, but the SRX seems like a "good" radar detector in a bad location.

It's "good enough" to stay on one of my vehicles but my X50, 9500ix and V1 all do at least a little better than the SRX at picking up radar.

OKAY,

I think I am leaning towards the 9500 series now... What are all the differences. I saw the Escort 9500ci had the "shifters". Is this a good system?

If you were putting together a system from scratch, what would you get?

Kyle

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Originally Posted by Z1NONLY

The only advantage of the SRX is that you don't have anything mounted to your windshield.

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I think another huge advantage of a remote mounted RD is the ability to add a second RD to the setup later for redundancy. There are several of us here that run a Belscort remote and a V1. Nothing is more informative than "arrows plus spec mode".

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

It's a great function to be able to hit mute twice and thanks for telling me, but I think I would prefer a kill switch right next to the steering wheel.

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Why would you prefer a kill switch over something that just shuts off the jammers that's already built into the system? I think it makes more sense to just shut off the function that you need to shut off, as opposed to the whole system. You can hear my 9500ci announce "shifting off", in this video, when I hit the mute button twice.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGBSQY5gV14]YouTube - Laser Trap[/ame]

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

I think it is pretty cool that both you guys have owned both of these setups. It's funny how both of you ended up switching to the 9500ix.

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For the record, I did not switch from the SRX to the 9500ix, I switched from the SRX to the 9500ci. I exchanged one remote for another remote. I normally use my 9500ci along with my V1 for the arrows and for redundancy. I normally use the 9500ix for when I travel, but I'm using it along with my 9500ci at the moment, because I've leant my V1 out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

I just don't like the idea of it being up in the windshield. Where else could I conceal it? I've read in between the sunshade thingee, but that is kind of ghetto.

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No go for the 9500ix. The 9500ix needs to have a clean look at the sky for GPS. Its the windshield or dash, but being mounted on the dash will probably hurt radar detection.

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

And you said your girl didn't like it, well, I usually drive by myself and the concealabilty is definately a factor.

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Don't get me wrong. She's not the only one that likes a quiet RD. A RD that only alerts when the threat is real is a powerful tool.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

Right now, I have an 08 Toyo Tacoma and drive mostly HWY miles in the desert. My last vehicle was an 06 Inf G35 (which I never got a ticket in!! w/out a RD). Back then, I mostly drove in the City.

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As far as radar detection goes, these two units will perform very well and about the same. It's comes down to a matter of remote mounting vs quiet ride and only you can know which is more important to you.

That's a pretty large vehicle. Veil will be a must to get to adequate performance, with a budget friendly laser jammer such as the Blinder or the ZR4s.

So if you were out on I-15, which setup would you guys get.

Thanks for the help,
Kyle

edit: oh, in CA, do you have to have a front liscense plate? What is the fine if is illegal?[/quote]A front plate is required in Cali.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Z1NONLY

My biggest problem with the SRX is that mounting the radar antenna in the grill hurts reception. (It's even worse in traffic.) The Newer 9500ci and beltronics STI-R have increased sensitivity that more than compensates for the poor mounting location, but the SRX seems like a "good" radar detector in a bad location.

It's "good enough" to stay on one of my vehicles but my X50, 9500ix and V1 all do at least a little better than the SRX at picking up radar.

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I just wanted to qualify Z1NONLY's post here. Z1NONLY lives in Florida where the humidity is high and range is limited. kyleatudub lives in the high desert of California, where C/O radar detection in the 5+ mile range will not be uncommon. Any decent RD will work great for him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

OKAY,

I think I am leaning towards the 9500 series now... What are all the differences. I saw the Escort 9500ci had the "shifters". Is this a good system?

If you were putting together a system from scratch, what would you get?

Kyle

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The 9500ci is the most sensitive RD ever made. Here is a video of my 9500ci on the I-15. I've had detection ranges in the deserts on the I-15, I-10 and I-40 in the 7+ mile range using my 9500ci.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXr6GDmXF4Y]YouTube - CHP Five Mile Ka Band Detection[/ame]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

OKAY,

I think I am leaning towards the 9500 series now... What are all the differences. I saw the Escort 9500ci had the "shifters". Is this a good system?

If you were putting together a system from scratch, what would you get?

Kyle

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If money was no issue I would get a 9500ci and an LI 4 head.but that would put you around the $2800 mark.

It depends on what you are up against...

Speed / read-light cams = ix or ci

Laser = LI (best laser protection, but expensive) ZR3 or ZR4 (ZR4 comes with ci but protecting a full-size truck will be "ify")

Radar = 9500 Ci (has the best detection on the market but very expensive) V1 (best windshield mount in terms of sensitivity, but can't eliminate falses or alert to non-radar speed cams like the ci or... 9500ix(good detection, and it eleminates known falses and alerts to speed cams / red light cams.

Under 1k = 9500ix + ZR4 (unless you don't care about non-radar speed cams or false alerts, then get a V1 and a ZR4)

1k to 1.6k = 9500ci or 9500ix and a 4 head LI for a little more.

Break the bank = 9500ci + LI four head + V1. I think the technical term for this configuration is... "Baller"

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Originally Posted by Z1NONLY

If money was no issue I would get a 9500ci and an LI 4 head.but that would put you around the $2800 mark.

It depends on what you are up against...

Speed / read-light cams = ix or ci

Laser = LI (best laser protection, but expensive) ZR3 or ZR4 (ZR4 comes with ci but protecting a full-size truck will be "ify")

Radar = 9500 Ci (has the best detection on the market but very expensive) V1 (best windshield mount in terms of sensitivity, but can't eliminate falses or alert to non-radar speed cams like the ci or... 9500ix(good detection, and it eleminates known falses and alerts to speed cams / red light cams.

Under 1k = 9500ix + ZR4 (unless you don't care about non-radar speed cams or false alerts, then get a V1 and a ZR4)

1k to 1.6k = 9500ci or 9500ix and a 4 head LI for a little more.

Break the bank = 9500ci + LI four head + V1. I think the technical term for this configuration is... "Baller"

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I agree with everything Z1NONLY said here. Your budget will greatly determine what we'd suggest.

Wow, thanks for everyone's help. After watching your videos (which kick a), I think I will definately get the 9500ci.

I have been looking at this site for 12 hours now and over the last couple hours, I realized that it is not "what is the best detector".... it is all about "what is the best system".... overlapping layers of security..

So I will end up ordering the 9500ci, Veil (for plate, headlights, and additional PIAA lights) and laser shield (plate covers). I figure this is a decent system for now, then I can always add additional layers of security (ie, V1). What I like about this is that it is remote and dosn't hang on my wind shield.

Thanks guys.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kyleatudub

Wow, thanks for everyone's help. After watching your videos (which kick a), I think I will definately get the 9500ci.

I have been looking at this site for 12 hours now and over the last couple hours, I realized that it is not "what is the best detector".... it is all about "what is the best system".... overlapping layers of security..

So I will end up ordering the 9500ci, Veil (for plate, headlights, and additional PIAA lights) and laser shield (plate covers). I figure this is a decent system for now, then I can always add additional layers of security (ie, V1). What I like about this is that it is remote and dosn't hang on my wind shield.

Thanks guys.

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Smart choice..

Good first step, imo. I would add a hardwired V1 ASAP mounted up by RVM. My V1 gets rear alerts better than the ci and occasionally gets real threats sooner than the ci and the arrows are helpful. You might want to consider getting the LI at this point, too. You can run the wiring all at once and it will provide additional, almost impenetrable, LIDAR coverage.

I agree with most of what has been said in this thread. I had the SRX with ZR3s and loved it, but feel more secure with my current "baller" setup. :D

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Originally Posted by M6D

Good first step, imo. I would add a hardwired V1 ASAP mounted up by RVM. My V1 gets rear alerts better than the ci and occasionally gets real threats sooner than the ci and the arrows are helpful. You might want to consider getting the LI at this point, too. You can run the wiring all at once and it will provide additional, almost impenetrable, LIDAR coverage.

I agree with most of what has been said in this thread. I had the SRX with ZR3s and loved it, but feel more secure with my current "baller" setup. :D

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After the 9500ci, I personally think that upgrading the laser jammers would be a much higher priority than adding the V1. Where kyleatudub lives, radar detection ranges are incredible. The odds of him getting a radar tiket with the 9500ci are very low. But, his truck is rather large and the ZR4s will provide little to no rear protection. Adding top notch laser jammers will be a must.

I would start with the 9500ci and Veil the head lights. DJ has shown this to be a pretty good combo. Then I would do some testing to see where your weak points are located.

If after testing you feel yhe Zr4's have you covered, (I am sceptical about rear shots) then add a V1. If the jammers leave you less than a warm fuzzy feeling add the LI's then the V1.

You guys are cool and I can see this becoming a new hobby for me.

I also ended up getting a 9500ix for my motorcycle. I ordered two sets to hardwire it, so I can easily move it from my motorcycle to my truck. GPS ROCKS!!

I also order the Veil and will apply that to plates, headlights, foglights, etc. Oh... and I got the plate covers for truck and bike.......

This will at least cover my a for a while. Later on, I will end up getting the 4 head LI and swap it out on my truck and put the ZR4s on my motobike!!!!

I think thats a good plan.. Do you really need jammers on a bike??? Oh, well, better safe than sorry.

Thanks everyone, you guys rock :beer:
Kyle