Escort Inc. Passport 8500 Radar Detector

by Escort

Product Details

Product Manual [481kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005AFIV
• Item model number: N/A
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

ESCORT RADAR is the source for the best radar detectors on the road. ESCORT RADAR offers the best radar and laser detectors; including the PASSPORT 9500ix GPS Radar Detector. The PASSPORT 9500ix's red light, safety camera and speed trap database delivers the ultimate ability to avoid speeding tickets. The battery operated cordless Solo S2 Radar Detector is the ultimate travel radar detector. And, the PASSPORT 9500ci custom - installed radar detector packs our exclusive laser shifter technology for the ultimate defense. Avoid traffic tickets - invest in the best radar detector from ESCORT RADAR.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

120 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A high tech must have that delivers on its promise!, February 24, 2002

By 

Steven E. Baker "...Steve" (TEXAS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escort Inc. Passport 8500 Radar Detector (Electronics)

Radar detector manufacturers have always promised the ultimate in traffic ticket protections, but for years they delivered something less than adequate when comparing the final product to the advertised claims.

Some of this is still evident, even with this fine model, such as the claim to have increased response time to "instant on" photo-radar by 200%. This is supposed to be a good thing and make you feel more protected, and in a sense you are, but the mere fact that instant on radar is so quick that if you are the targeted vehicle and you are speeding, you are done. It happens so fast that a 1000% increase would not help you in that scenario.

But, every millisecond counts!

This unit does not have voice alerts (Low importance for me) or a built in compass (a fading feature that I like).

Fast driving, tech savvy drivers like me have always used our radar detectors as a tool in our speed driving kit. I don't rely on it exclusively, but I do learn the road and where I will here a beep and where I don't. I try to drive so that the radar signal I am intercepting is being aimed at a car in front of me so that I can take time to react because if they are aiming at me, it is a slim chance that I can react fast enough to help.

Twenty years ago these devices were very expensive, promised the world and delivered a lot of useless noise. With this model of Passport, I believe these units have evolved into a useful tool for everyday driving and interstate speeding.

I've been testing this unit out on the highways on New England and had great results. The most important feature is the lack of false alarms. Before I bought this unit my old radar detector gave me so many false alarms I simply grew used to the sound of it chirping. Now, when I hear a noise, I know it is most likely something I need to react to.

The range is terrific and actually does a nice job of giving you a little warning before you reach the speed trap. Pay attention to this unit because it gives out a lot of information that you can use.

Features I like:

· Using the multi-source expert mode, it can monitor more than one signal at a time: A lot of traffic lights up here are so seldom used that they incorporate a X-band radar unit to know when a car is waiting at a red light. I have driven over a one lane bridge recently that had a sensor on both sides and a speed trapping state trooper hidden in the brush waiting to catch me. This unit alerted me to each signal, along with the relative strength as expressed in a strength meter. This was very nice, I felt like I was in total control, knowing how many sources were transmitting and allowing me to figure out what to do. Your readout will show all of the alerts at once, each with its own strength bar.
· You can set it up to tell you the numerical frequency of the transmission. This is very nice for you hard core tech heads out there. I'd like to see this feature exploited further and have it learn the unique signatures of different devices and report them (imagine a warning: state trooper, same one as yesterday!). It is also a way of seeing different sources, though different than the multi-source expert mode described above.
· You can set it up to monitor your system voltage and give you a constantly updating readout, unless an alert is triggered and then you wont see it again until all radar sources are gone. Wow, I can't tell you how impressed I am with this feature. To sum it up in one word, troubleshooting. It's just as good as hooking up a fluke to your electrical system and monitoring it while driving. In a couple of drives you can evaluate your battery, alternator and electrical system, all the while monitoring for radar traps. Who thinks of this stuff!
· You can have the display do some cool scanning type graphics. All tech type people like to impress their under funded, low knowledge friends and girlfriends with this graphic trick that makes your radar detector look more like the eye piece for a Xylon warrior from the old Battlestar Galactica (by your command....) It gives you a comfortable feeling that the airwaves are being scanned, and the device is functional. This is a good thing, since you will rarely hear from it.
. This unit is very customizable and can be programmed easy. You can read the official reviews to get the details, but I will tell you that it is very easy.

Also, forget what you thought about radar detectors of the past. This unit is actually heavy and reflects the amount of circuitry and detection equipment that was installed.

Never forget that radar detectors are a tool for you to use. They gather information about your surroundings. They are not fool proof and cannot be relied upon exclusively. I've spent several hundreds of dollars on detectors over the years, but this is the one I have been looking for.

By the way: Do not buy a radar jammer. They simply do not work. I've owned them, I've used them, I've thrown them out the window.

Another note: The price you see here on Amazon is a good one. You will be hard pressed to find it any cheaper and many places cannot even get them. I would not trust the refurb units you see on [other websites], but even those are going to be within [range]of this unit.

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fully Capable Countermeasure, January 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Escort Inc. Passport 8500 Radar Detector (Electronics)

This detector will fulfills the needs of most all drivers wanting some protection against speed tracking devices. I'm an engineer designing satellite systems and a Reserve Air Force Officer in satellite operations, routinely studing technology and it's application in warfare. For it's designed purpose, the New Passport 8500 excells over other products, and if properly engaged, will significantly decrease your probabiliy of getting stopped.

On routine routes, you must build a "profile" of emissions that routinely set off the detector, which is characterized by frequency and location of the signal. The 8500 allows you to tell you the numerical frequency of the transmission (if you want to set it up that way), or at least the band (standard display). One of the local PD trys to hide in the emissions of an x-band traffic signal, but his radar is K-band - the 8500 tells you he's there. It continuously scans all the frequencies, and supplies detection information simultaneously for all the perceived threats, giving frequency and signal strength data.

The 8500's detection range and sensitivity is way above older and cheaper detectors. I live in the mountains, and still get the emissions tip-offs from the patrol cruiser's instant-on hits of cars in front of me. The 8500 detects the reflected signals over small hills and around canyon corners allowing you to correctly react. This is your only hope. If you're the target of a direct instant-on hit, you're toast. No one can react faster that computers and the speed of light. You have to detect and react to the threats in the vicinity before you're the target. On a side note, there's technology on the street which allows the new radars to register the speed of each target in a group of cars, and can lock the speed of the fastest in a group i.e. a car passing a truck. You can no longer hide in the large radar return of a big profile vehicle.

The 8500 has ability to filter most all of the false signals which allows you to keep you pace up. Some detectors have decent range, but register more false signals. In many cases this is worse than a detector with less range, but better "intelligence", because you'll be continually reacting to false information. With frequent false data, you'll have to decide whether to plod in the slow lane "just in case" or keep up you pace and hope it wasn't really a trooper's radar hit.

I live in the remote mountains of Colorado and commute on one of the highest patrolled canyons around. I keep the mode on HIGHWAY most of the time. My infrequent use of CITY and AUTO modes seems to support the claims that its advanced signal rejection circuitry in the those modes separates real threats from the "noise" in high emission areas.

A co-worker that flew Navy EA-6B Prowler electronic countermeasues aircraft used to swear the Valentine was the only "real detector", until he used my 8500. He thought the performance as good, but the 8500 costs significantly less. While the 8500 has rear detection capability, he missed the lack of a direction indicator for the threat. Most all your detection will be from the front, but it would an advantage getting the added information. He lives in Virginia, and the immunity to VG2 (system that detects the presence of a radar detector) is critical, which drove him to purchase the valentine before the 8500 came out.

I have a radar detector designed for motorcycles on my BMW, purchased for the clean mounting and the riding environment. It can't compare to the 8500 performance. I wish Escort would provide a clean, secure mount and a remote display/signaling unit or integration into my helment speakers. I know I'd never hear the 8500 at triple digit speeds and can't afford the risk of it falling off.

I got the 8500 because I'm on the verge of loosing my "good driver" status on my insurance. The 8500 has paid for itself, saving my bacon on tickets and premium increases. From experience, I can say buying a cheaper detector isn't worth it.

An update - I got my good driver status back thanks to the 8500. I can credit it to about a dozen saves over the last year and a half. If direct sunlight hits the detector, I ocassionally get false laser detections.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price, July 18, 2001

By 

economist "greggonzo1" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Escort Inc. Passport 8500 Radar Detector (Electronics)

I have had several other brands of radar detectors ranging from $50 to $150. None can even compare. Of course none were the brand escort either. I do not know if this quality is standard among their product line but this radar detector is awesome. It has an auto feature that automatically senses where you are at while you are driving. It minimizes false alarms and its range is unbelievable. Around corners, long straight-aways, hills, you name it, it does it. The only thing it lacks is a voice alert which I like but is not needed.