Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar/Laser Detector(Red Display)The Passport
8500 has been hailed as the mostrevolutionary radar/laser detector
ever. Forbes.com said, "it might be thebest radar detector ever made!"
Popular Mechanics called it "state ofthe art." RadarTest.com named it
"The World's Best!"For more than 25 years ESCORT has set the radar
detector standard.Now, we're raising the bar ... again. Introducing
the all new Passport 8500 X50radar and laser detector - the most
advanced and sophisticated detector ever!There's never been a radar
detector like the Passport 8500 X50, and it'savailable in your choice
of either a brilliant blue display or high-intensityred
display.X-treme Radar RangeThe Passport 8500 X50's new "V-Tuned" radar
receiver provides extremedetection range on all police radar;
conventional and "instant-on"radar, including the new POP mode radar
threat, X-Band, and up to 50% more rangethan the original Passport
8500 on the all-important K and Ka bands. DigitalSignal Processing
(DSP) provides maximum range, with minimum false alarms.-360-degree
radar and laser detection-Advanced digital signal
processing-AutoSensitivity mode automatically reduces false
alarms-EZ-Programming allows instant customization-3 High-resolution
meter modes-Ultra-bright matrix display with 280 LEDs-Multiple
high-performance laser sensors-Built-in earphone jack-Completely
immune to the VG-2 detector-detectorX-tremely QuietPassport 8500 X50's
patented AutoSensitivity mode intelligently distinguishesreal threats
from other known sources of radar - virtually eliminating falsealarms.
Conventional Highway and City modes are also provided.New
High-Performance Laser ProtectionPassport 8500 X50's multiple
high-performance laser sensors provide maximumpolice laser (lidar)
warning, with superior off-axis protection.Laser Shifter ZR3.-->3
High-Resolution Meter ModesThe Passport 8500 X50 provides 3 types of
meter displays: standard
Radar detector manufacturers are
constantly playing a game of catch-up with new technologies designed
to nab the lead-footed. "Pop" radar is a relatively new instant-on
technology that may make a whole generation of radar detectors
obsolete. These radar guns operate at low frequency until they are
switched on to determine a driver's speed with lightning-fast
accuracy. This leaves a radar detector little opportunity to scan and
detect the radar signal. Pop radar may sound ominous, but a new crop
of radar detectors--including the Escort Passport 8500 X50--offer Pop
radar detection. Escort claims that the 8500 X50 is the most powerful
and advanced radar detector ever, with the supreme sensitivity
required to detect low-frequency Pop radar. Design
Mounting the 8500 in our test vehicle was easy and straightforward. A
small suction cup bracket slides into the unit's release mechanism and
easily attaches to the windshield with light pressure. The unit is
housed in a sturdy plastic case that's low profile and
compact--although it is larger and heavier than Escort's wireless
offering, the Solo S2. The rear of the unit is dominated by a receiver
window and there's a rear-facing laser detector window designed to
detect laser signals emanating from behind the vehicle.
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) provides maximum
range, with minimum false alarms.
The Escort 8500 has a suprisingly simple control layout. Two buttons
on the top of the unit control sensitivity settings and display
brightness. They also double as selection buttons when the unit is in
programming mode. The left side of the unit sports a volume dial. A
mute button is positioned on the front panel next to the large,
horizontal LCD display which, during normal use, graphs the intensity
of the radar and laser signals the unit detects. Power is supplied by
an included Escort SmartCord, which plugs into a cigarette-lighter
power socket. The SmartCord features an alert LED, as well as a
built-in mute button-- two handy additions.
Features
The
8500 can detect all of the radar bands currently in use in North
America for speed detection, including the X, K and Ka bands. The unit
also features detection diodes for laser detection, but for the most
powerful protection from laser detection, Escort offers the ZR3 laser
jamming system, which is plug-and-play compatible with the 8500.
The feature that separates the 8500 from other Escort radar detectors,
as well as the entire previous generation of radar detector
technologies, is its Pop radar detection capabilities. Pop radar guns,
while still relatively rare in police departments, are used to
identify speeding vehicles in traffic. They provide little warning as
the radar signal idles at a low frequency until it transmits an
extremely short, high-frequency burst to "Pop" a target. The 8500 is
equipped with a highly sensitive receiving system and a digital signal
processor designed to pick up Pop signals from a safe distance. Pop
detection is not enabled by default in the 8500, however; users must
turn it on in the settings menu. Escort probably chose to disable Pop
detection by default because its increased sensitivity also increases
false alerts. However, first-time radar detector users might be in for
a surprise if they neglect to turn it on.
The Passport 8500 X50 provides 3 types of warning
displays to choose from.
Audio alerts are the most important feature of any radar detector, and
the 8500 doesn't disappoint in this department. Warning tones get
progressively louder as a threat approaches, and users can set the
unit to deliver warnings at preprogrammed volume levels. Each radar
band--including Pop radar--has a distinct tone, making it easy to
quickly discern threats. The 8500's "AutoMute" feature automatically
lowers the volume level of an alert after a period of time.
False
alarms are one of the major annoyances of radar detector use. In our
tests, the 8500 was surprisingly adept at minimizing false alarms from
home garage door systems, as well as home and commercial security
systems that commonly operate on X-band radar. The unit's city
sensitivity setting decreases sensitivity to X-band sources, while the
highway setting does not. We found the unit's powerful
"AutoSensitivity" mode the most accurate, however, as it dynamically
filtered all types of radar signals and identified which sources were
a legitimate threat. We got a few false alarms, but for the most part,
annoying chirps from bogus X-band sources were uncommon.
The 8500
has nine built-in customizable settings. In the settings mode, the LCD
acts as a menu system that lets users control display brightness,
automatic mute, audio tones, and power-on modes. There are also
settings for disabling detection of selected bands. We liked the
expert mode settings, which allow a user to get a constant picture of
the intensity of all the radar bands in the area. The SpecDisplay,
which is a feature exclusive to the 8500, displays the actual numeric
frequency of the radar signal being received.
For those living in
states that prohibit use of a radar detector, the 8500 does include
VG-2 radar detector detector protection, which is designed to both
alert the driver and shut down the unit's oscillator.
On the
Road
We used the 8500 on a 20-mile stretch of busy interstate
and were impressed with the low number of false alarms we received.
Again, this remarkable level of accuracy is due to the unit's
AutoSensitivity feature. While we encountered no police radar, other
controlled tests of the 8500's performance have put the reliable range
of detection at 2 miles for all bands. Meanwhile, Pop mode tests place
the reliable detection range between 500 and 1000 feet.
Pros
- Well-designed controls and display features
- AutoSensitivity feature greatly reduces false alarms
- Highly
accurate with massive detection range
Cons
- Pop detection not enabled by default
