My V995 on the fritz...now what? Pro 78? 8500 X50? V955?

[mikelets456]

Ok, I have a V940 and V995 and both have the same problem. They randomly reboot... but that is not the worst part, some days they work and some days they don't. When I pass known "false" spots some days it will work and some not. These Bels seem to do this as with my previous Escorts. I take them down from my windshield in the warmer months, but they never seem to last more than 4-5 years. Now I am in a bit of a money crunch and looking for the best detector around $150. I live in NJ where they use X, K, Ka and laser. I venture to PA and surrounding states that use KA mostly and Laser. My V995 has picked up Laser scatter many of times and saved my butt as well. I am a 10-15 MPH over PSL type of driver.. Mix of suburban/highway driving. I know where most of the false spots are as I drive the same routes multiple times.
I want something reliable and that is going to last. I was almost ready to buy a Pro 78Se but the reviews range from "great to are you kidding me"! Now I am looking at a refurbed X50, but they don't seem like the solid performer as I thought they were plus QC is questionable. The Bel V955... well, the QC is the obvious concern and I/O delay has me concerned as well. Even though my V995 has served me well. I would like to hear from people that have all of these and can make honest unbiased opinions. Thanks in advance for your help...

[nosbusa]

For a $150.00 you can't beat a refurbed 8500 S7 from Escort. jmo

As faR as laser is concerned, if you don't have a jammer you're basically SOL.

[nine_c1]

.....Now I am looking at a refurbed X50, but they don't seem like the solid performer as I thought they were plus QC is questionable. .

The refurbed X50's are the best variant of the S7 antenna platform ever produced! I've had mine for about a month now and it is smokin hot on K-Band and rock solid on Ka. The audio could be louder but that was par for the course on all 8500 models. I've run the RedLine, 9500ix and GX65 and I would rank this a solid number 2 in radar performance out of that group. The laser receiver also employs (2) diodes compared to just (1) in either the 9500ix and GX65. For the money it can't be beat and Escort does a superb job in their refurbishment program. You have a return period if your not happy and a full 6 month factory warranty.

[mikelets456]

Besides "pop" on the 8500 vs the X50 is there any difference? Is "Pop" detection worth the extra $50? If I am going to get a detector I do not want to make a foolish "$1000" mistake to save $50. Is having "Pop" detection really worth it? Seems like most people turn it off anyway....

[nosbusa]

The majority of people on this board turn pop off on every RD they own.

Fwiw. I bought an 8500 S7 off a recommendation from this board and this thread.

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...0-refurbs.html

[Sui]

Besides "pop" on the 8500 vs the X50 is there any difference? Is "Pop" detection worth the extra $50? If I am going to get a detector I do not want to make a foolish "$1000" mistake to save $50. Is having "Pop" detection really worth it? Seems like most people turn it off anyway....

No. I think maybe 2 states even use POP (and I can't remember which two) so unless you live in one POP is a non issue. You should be a lot more concerned with instant on.

[SuperSpeeder]

The 8500 refurbished unit is the best on a budget (many peoples belif, mine included). Plus the 6 month warrenty.

[AirMoore]

I kind of would like to get to the bottom of this... buying a new piece of equipment to me seems like a temporary solution.

Are these hardwired? How do other electronics fare in your car? Do they use the same power source? Etc.

To me this seems like it might be an electrical issue in your car (or something on your end). I only say this because you say (paraphrase here): "A V940, V995, and previous Escorts have all had these issues"... meaning 2+ Escorts have ALL had this issue.

The odds of getting 4 different units with the exact same issue (or even 2 or 3) is very small... add in the fact it happens to one person... it just seems (though it might not be the case) that the issue is on your end, not the RD's... that's so many different detectors to have the same problem.


Note: I am not blaming you... but do you see my point? 3 or 4 units fail all in the exact same fashion on you? Either your incredibly unlucky when it comes to getting RD's or more logically... something on your end is causing this issue with the RD's.

Any Service Reqs? or Self-Cals on the screens? Any low/high voltage indication on the V995 (I thought it has this right?)

[mikelets456]

I kind of would like to get to the bottom of this... buying a new piece of equipment to me seems like a temporary solution.

Are these hardwired? How do other electronics fare in your car? Do they use the same power source? Etc.

To me this seems like it might be an electrical issue in your car (or something on your end). I only say this because you say (paraphrase here): "A V940, V995, and previous Escorts have all had these issues"... meaning 2+ Escorts have ALL had this issue.

The odds of getting 4 different units with the exact same issue (or even 2 or 3) is very small... add in the fact it happens to one person... it just seems (though it might not be the case) that the issue is on your end, not the RD's... that's so many different detectors to have the same problem.


Note: I am not blaming you... but do you see my point? 3 or 4 units fail all in the exact same fashion on you? Either your incredibly unlucky when it comes to getting RD's or more logically... something on your end is causing this issue with the RD's.

Any Service Reqs? or Self-Cals on the screens? Any low/high voltage indication on the V995 (I thought it has this right?)

I understand what you are saying. However, I have gone through 4-5 cars over the last 15 years. I leave the detector plugged in at all times and when the car is off so is the detector....when the car is turned on so is the detector. However, when I had my Ford Explorer before my recent Toyota purchase I would turn it off manually. Both the V940 and the V995 will be fine for a few days, everything seems normal then the next few days they'll reboot several times during the day.... then the cycle begins again. I pull down the detector in the spring through fall months and leave it up in the winter. My friend's Escort 8500 died years ago with the "self calibrating" screen. I also have another friend with the 8500 X50 that did the same thing after a few years. Honestly, I think QC is the problem as mine and my friends have all done this or stopped functioning prematurely. Hey, maybe it is because we live in NJ... nothing seems to work right in this darn state.

One thing to note, when I had my Toyota Sienna and started the car the screen would instantly flash "low voltage", but that was 3-4 years before all this started happening. Maybe sitting out in the cold?

I don't know. One thing I want to mention, I was able to pick up a Pro 68SE for $80... for my wife's car. I tried to cancel the order but it already shipped and I have 45 days to return it. Can someone give me a non biased opinion on this? We mostly drive in NJ, PA and MD. X-band, laser and mostly KA. NJ is going to more and more I/O... I would say it is probably 60/40 with I/O being the "60". The V995 seems to do well with all these bands and even has saved me from laser a few times from scatter.One a side note, my V995 seems to be better now that I have "pop" mode on and "Tech" display.More "falses" this way though. We'll see what happens.

Also, can someone tell me what kind of range they get on their V995 (or others) when a LEO is shooting his KA radar directly across the road (not towards you but 90 Deg ). It seems the warning is minimal and has always been that way on the V995. Other than that, the V995 with a LEO with KA "head on" or even behind is pretty impressive.

[nine_c1]

I kind of would like to get to the bottom of this... buying a new piece of equipment to me seems like a temporary solution.

Are these hardwired? How do other electronics fare in your car? Do they use the same power source? Etc.

To me this seems like it might be an electrical issue in your car (or something on your end). I only say this because you say (paraphrase here): "A V940, V995, and previous Escorts have all had these issues"... meaning 2+ Escorts have ALL had this issue.

The odds of getting 4 different units with the exact same issue (or even 2 or 3) is very small... add in the fact it happens to one person... it just seems (though it might not be the case) that the issue is on your end, not the RD's... that's so many different detectors to have the same problem.


Note: I am not blaming you... but do you see my point? 3 or 4 units fail all in the exact same fashion on you? Either your incredibly unlucky when it comes to getting RD's or more logically... something on your end is causing this issue with the RD's.

Any Service Reqs? or Self-Cals on the screens? Any low/high voltage indication on the V995 (I thought it has this right?)

I understand what you are saying. However, I have gone through 4-5 cars over the last 15 years. I leave the detector plugged in at all times and when the car is off so is the detector....when the car is turned on so is the detector. However, when I had my Ford Explorer before my recent Toyota purchase I would turn it off manually. Both the V940 and the V995 will be fine for a few days, everything seems normal then the next few days they'll reboot several times during the day.... then the cycle begins again. I pull down the detector in the spring through fall months and leave it up in the winter. My friend's Escort 8500 died years ago with the "self calibrating" screen. I also have another friend with the 8500 X50 that did the same thing after a few years. Honestly, I think QC is the problem as mine and my friends have all done this or stopped functioning prematurely. Hey, maybe it is because we live in NJ... nothing seems to work right in this darn state.

One thing to note, when I had my Toyota Sienna and started the car the screen would instantly flash "low voltage", but that was 3-4 years before all this started happening. Maybe sitting out in the cold?

I don't know. One thing I want to mention, I was able to pick up a Pro 68SE for $80... for my wife's car. I tried to cancel the order but it already shipped and I have 45 days to return it. Can someone give me a non biased opinion on this? We mostly drive in NJ, PA and MD. X-band, laser and mostly KA. NJ is going to more and more I/O... I would say it is probably 60/40 with I/O being the "60". The V995 seems to do well with all these bands and even has saved me from laser a few times from scatter.One a side note, my V995 seems to be better now that I have "pop" mode on and "Tech" display.More "falses" this way though. We'll see what happens.

Also, can someone tell me what kind of range they get on their V995 (or others) when a LEO is shooting his KA radar directly across the road (not towards you but 90 Deg ). It seems the warning is minimal and has always been that way on the V995. Other than that, the V995 with a LEO with KA "head on" or even behind is pretty impressive.

Lasting 3-4 years out in the cold before setting a self cal msg is actually not too bad! The S7 is a multipiece horn (supurb design) but it's more susceptable to thermal wear and tear compared to the newer M4. Escort will service and repair these units for $80 (includes new lens and smartcord) and send it back to you operating like new with a 6 month warranty. Sound like a salesman but I'm not..........it's just a pretty good deal in my book.

I'd certainly look into exchanging that 68SE for a 78SE! The pro-78SE has RSID and Ka Max mode which is worth the few extra bucks! Even then, the K-Band detection range on the Whistlers is not what your used to.

Picking up "across the road" radar (particularly Ka) is always on the crappy side. Radar is very directional and Ka in particular is more tightly focused and does not scatter as much as X or K. The RedLine M3 has some remarkable ability to catch signals like this up to 1/4 mile away, but it's not uncommon to get close to snowball range before getting an alert with other detectors. A lot depends on what's around to reflect the signal your way.