Escort Inc. recently released their new “Radar Detector Tools” program. This program enables owners of Escort’s 9500ci remote mounted radar detector to download the latest firmware and traffic enforcement camera database for their detector and installs them to your detector.

The user also has the ability through this program to change/save/upload the detector’s settings such as band detection, display modes, deactivating/activating Truelock feature and automute settings.

Hats off to Escort, as they are the first radar detector company that I know of that allows the end user to update the detectors firmware.

The following video demonstrates the various options with Escort’s new program.

Last month, I spent a week at Radarbusters.com’s corporate offices in Omaha Nebraska to video tape new product videos, to train their support staff on new speed countermeasure technology and to test several new products that are about to be released.

The product videos were shot on a professional sound stage and should be online within the coming month.

This is a short video that I shot during a portion of the taping and their telephone support staff.

Four years ago we launched RadarDetector.net and since it has grown to be the largest and most respected forum for radar detector enthusiasts which I attribute to the hard work by its dedicated administrators and moderators and the support from its 5,000 users.

Over the past several weeks we have been working on a new forum platform utilizing VBulletin and while integrating the user base and over 50,000 postings.

This morning the redesigned site launched!

I would like to thank “TheStanton” for his hard work with the backend and to Bill of PecksWeb.com for graphic design, great job guys!

Over the past two weeks with the Escort 9500ci installed and driving over 1800 miles through the Arizona desert and high country, I can honestly say that Escort has developed the most intelligent and “super charged” performing radar detector/laser shifter that I have ever laid hands on!

Radar Detector Performance:
The 9500ci’s radar sensitivity and overall performance is identical to that of the Beltronics STI-r (STI Remote) that I have been using in my motor home and both are immune to all radar detector detector devices including the latest Spectre RDD.

Many radar detector enthusiasts consider the V1 the baseline, which all radar detectors should be measured; therefore I began my review by hanging a Valentine 1 radar detector (version 3.864) on my pickup’s windshield.

My first “real life” encounter was on a desolate stretch of a divided four lane highway, north of Buckeye Arizona. The 9500ci first alerted Ka then flashed my speed of 67 mph. A few seconds later the V1 began its alert. As I rounded a sharp bend on the highway I spotted a Buckeye PD black and white vehicle parked in the turnout lane.

My second encounter was in the city of Glendale in a densely populated business/residential area early in the morning. The 9500ci alerted K band and displayed my speed of 51 mph and again a few moments later the V1 alerted. During this initial alert I was concerned that this was a false as I had a clear view of the road ahead, but as I approached the next intersection a Maricopa County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle came into view pulling up to a stop sign at a 90 degree angle from my approach.

Most “low end and mid level” detectors would had failed during both of these “extreme off axis” encounters, but both the V1 and 9500ci performed very well, with the 9500ci having a slight edge.

The most dramatic difference between the V1 and the 9500ci was the increased number of false alerts that the Valentine One alerted to over the 9500ci. The ratio was almost 5 to 1 and once the 9500ci automatically registered the false bogies with its GPS Truelock, the ratio decreased to 5 to 0! 

Over the course of the last seventeen days I’ve had additional fourteen “real life” radar encounters with the 9500ci. During each the Escort 9500ci’s long range sensitivity sniffed out the radar traps three to five seconds prior to the V1, providing me with ample time and distance to properly adjust my driving.

GPS Powered Truelock Filter:
False alerts are the chief complaint of radar detector users and the areas that I normally drive are littered with X and K band devices that would drive most motorists crazy. With most other radar detectors I normally deactivate X band and cope with the K band false alerts. However during my review of the 9500ci, I allowed the detector use its “computerized brain” to identify by frequency and mark out the trash.

Once the 9500ci alerts to the same frequency the third time at the exact location identified by GPS, the detector emits a short beep indicating that the frequency and location were marked as a false. Subsequently, if you drive by this same location after the location was marked as a false, and the detector does not sense the same signal, the location is deleted from memory.

During the last seventeen days my 9500ci has automatically marked thirty seven positions as false alert locations.

Safety Camera Database:
Red light and fixed photo radar cameras are becoming more prevalent each day as cash strapped municipalities install these cash cow devices to raise cash under the guise of traffic safety.

The 9500ci has an internal database of most, if not all the fixed camera locations in North America. Based upon your speed the 9500ci will alert you ten seconds prior to arriving with an LED read out of the camera type and distance.

My wife is often critical of my fervor to radar detector testing and she first grudgingly rode with me during my initial review of the 9500ci. However her viewpoint quickly changed and commented that she never knew the abundance of the red light and speed cameras in the vicinity of our home nearby shopping centers and wanted to know when I could buy and install a 9500ci in her car.

To update the database on the 9500ci, you first must register your unit online on their website. But once this is done, you simply download the database (and any other firmware updates) to your computer and then connect the 9500ci with a USB cable.

Laser Shifter:
During my fourteen day review of the 9500ci I did not encounter any laser enforcement by police. However as noted during my testing of the ZR4 and our install of the 9500ci, the shifter did a respectable job of jamming police laser on my large profile F250 pickup at my test facility.

During the previous test of the ZR4 on our Toyota Sequoia, a midsize SUV, the ZR4 jamming performance was awsome with numerous “Jam to Guns” on many of the laser guns tested.

Closing Comments:
I have to admit, I have a pretty neat job. Radar detector and laser jammer manufactures send me their latest gadgets to test, I write a review discussing my personal experiences and if I like the unit it remains in my vehicle until the next bigger and better detector/jammer comes out.

However in the case of the new Escort 9500ci I find it hard to imagine that anyone, even the engineers at Beltronics/Escort, can ever top this. Yes, the 9500ci the most expensive radar detector on the market today, but worth every penny!

By making an investment in purchasing the most advanced radar and laser defense system ever made you’ll have the first smart radar detector with its own brain to knock out false alerts and warn you well in advance of radar, laser and fixed camera enforcement traps you’ll encounter.

The downside; once your “better half” finds out about the all the features and performance you maybe purchasing a second 9500ci for their car, as I am doing now!

Radar Roy’s Badge Rating
Five Stars

This morning RacerX from the RadarDetector.net forum came over and I installed the 9500ci radar detector into my Ford F-250 Harley Davidson Edition pickup while RacerX videotaped the process.

I begin this online video by reviewing all of the accessories that are included with the Escort 9500ci remote mounted radar detector and then start the install by installing the Escort Shifter ZR4 laser jammer heads.

I then install the radar detector antenna on top of the radiator shield and then demonstrate running the various cables through the firewall.

Next I install the 9500ci interface under the dash, plug in the various accessories and install the controller, the display, amplified speaker and the GPS antenna.

I tie off all the cables, apply power to the interface and turn on the ignition and the Escort’s new remote mounted radar detector comes to life.

We tape the ramp up of the detector by shooting a K band radar signal to the unit and then we head out to my private airstrip and perform test the laser jamming capabilities of the unit.

Initially I was very hesitant to perform laser jamming testing with my truck because of the size of the front grill area, but we had jam to gun with the LTI 100 and had only 45’ of punch through with the Pro Laser III. However the deadly Stalker ate my truck for lunch and that was the only laser gun we had any difficulties with.

Off camera I did testing with the Spectre III and the 9500ci was completely stealth, immune to detection.

Over the next couple weeks I will be doing additional testing with the 9500ci and videotaping and posting the results here on RadarRoy.com.

The new Escort 9500ci radar detector has been creating allots of buzz on the radar detector forums and has become the most anticipated speed countermeasure device by detector enthusiasts since its introduction at January’s CES show. Therefore I was very excited when I found out that I was one of three reviewers selected by Escort Inc. to test drive one of their final production units prior to its release to the public.

Yesterday my UPS driver pulled up lugging what I first thought was a case of radar detectors because of the size of the package but inside I found a single retail 9500ci package containing Escort’s new radar and laser defense system!

Inside the retail box I found three other packages each containing the modular parts and accessories for Escort’s system along with three manuals. After installing countless radar detectors and laser jammers during my career I’m not one to normally read a manual. But after eyeing all the various cables, interfaces and accessories I sat down in my office for an hour reviewing each.

Included with the manual is an Escort product key code card for registering your 9500ci online and allowing access to their online database for software updates and their enforcement camera database.

In a separate package there is a USB cable that interfaces with the 9500ci which allows you to connect your computer to install the software and enforcement camera database updates.

In box one the Control Module, Display Module and speaker is packaged. The LED display is “brilliant blue” in color and the control module has five buttons used to adjust the sensitivity, the volume, to mark locations into the GPS, to power the unit on and off and to mute the detector.

The second box contains the 9500ci’s interface, the radar antenna and an external GPS antenna. The radar detector antenna is the same used with the Beltronics STi-r making it completely undetectable to all police radar detector detectors, including the Spectre.

The interface unit which tucks under the dash is labeled and color coded making it easier to confirm that the correct device is plugged into the correct port.

The external GPS antenna is magnetic and includes a windshield mount to allow mounting in the interior of the car.

The third box contains the ZR4 shifters, two heads for the front and one head for the rear. The front shifters have the “ratchet” style mounting system attached and included are secondary mounting brackets. During my previous install and test of the ZR4, I found that I could not properly level the front shifter heads using the “ratchet mounting” system as I was between adjustment points. The proper placement and leveling of the Shifters are of extreme importance and I would encourage anyone doing this install to watch my ZR4 video prior to attempting it.

The 9500ci’s manual states that by default that the Shifters are programmed in receive mode only and must be programmed to active the laser jamming capabilities. I suspect the reason for this is to allow the sale and install of the 9500ci system in states that prohibit such active laser jamming devices.

One of the most anticipated features of the Escort 9500ci is its GPS capabilities allowing the user to mark their own locations, use Escorts speed enforcement camera database and the units ability to sniff out and identify false alarms on its own.

The 9500ci comes preloaded with a database of fixed US traffic enforcement cameras. As camera locations are frequently moved or added by cities and towns I strongly encourage users to download the latest database from Escort’s website on a monthly basis.

By pressing the “Mark Location” on the control module, the user has the ability to add their own locations to the database such as “Speed Trap” locations, “Speed Camera” location, “Red Light Camera” locations and other places of interest.

The Auto Learn/Auto Unlearn feature is for X and K band only. If the exact radar frequency is detected at the same location three times, the 9500ci will automatically lock out this location as a false alarm location. Once this frequency is locked out no alert will be given at this location unless it detects a new signal on a different frequency. Also once a location is self programmed as a false alarm location, if on a subsequent pass that same frequency is not detected the 9500ci removes it from the database.

I suspect that many radar detector enthusiasts will be testing the “Lockout” feature after installing the 9500ci. My experience in doing this type of test is that the user must leave the area prior to doing any subsequent radar tests. From experience the detector remains in “lock out mode” registering other radar alerts until the detector determines through its GPS that the unit has left the “locked out area.”

This coming week I will be installing the 9500ci and performing various radar and laser tests. I plan on videotaping the install along with the alerting features including the detectors ramp up upon detection of a signal.

Tonight I was contacted by a subscriber of our blog to notify me of his experiences with purchasing Bel and Escort radar detectors on Ebay and his new blog.

The “Unauthorized Radar Dealer Buster” blog goal is to educate consumers and to indentify unauthorized dealers: http://badradarguys.blogspot.com/ 

I wish “Buster” well in his project and if you have any information about the identity of any of these “Ebay Dealers” I encourage you to post a comment either here or on “Busters” blog.

Several subscribers to the blog had commented that the Veil G4 testing with the video was not a “real world” test as the car was at an excessive speed and they felt that the punch through distances would be reduced.

Several days prior to the test, the “Veil Guy” was at our testing complex and we performed baseline testing without Veil on the Shelby Mustang. The day of the test, we also did baseline testing with the white Toyota SUV aiming at the drivers side headlamp, prior to the application of the Veil G4 product.

We then performed a series of runs with both vehicles at more “reasonable” speeds (less then 45 mph). The following is a full report of our results;

Admitting I should had included this information in the original post, but as I had a production deadline with the ZR4 video and cut some corners and omitted it and I apologize.

Also some other users had commented that they felt that the first tone heard during the ZR4 test was a “speed lock” that I missed. This was not a “speed lock but an E4 error message that was displayed on the gun.

I do appreciate everyones comments and suggestions.

Over the past several months I have had the privilege of being one of the “beta testers” for Cincinnati Microwave’s new laser defense system, the Shifter ZR4 with new “Double-Pulse” protection.

Teaming up with Escort’s engineering staff and sharing our cache of laser equipment, we were able to test the ZR4 with virtually every make and model of laser gun currently in use in the USA. As a result the engineers were able to fine tune their jamming algorithms to the point where I can say that they have the most advanced LED based laser defense system on the market today.

Escort Radar also made other improvements to their new laser shifter system, such as with their new “ratchet” mounting system for the two front laser jammer heads, making the install in some applications much easier.

There were several new things I do admit that that I learned in working with Escort’s staff and in our testing that I will share.

First many users of the ZR3 that I met with in the past also mounted their rear laser jammer to the front figuring if two heads work well, three heads would be even better. In mentioning this to the engineers they related that the two front laser jammers are designed to operate at a different pulse rate than the one rear head and that because of this the front jamming effectiveness could actually decrease if all three heads were placed in the front. Not one to miss a challenge, we actually took some time to test this at our new testing facility and yes, in some situations we did notice a decrease if jamming when all three heads were all placed in the front.

We then explored using splitters on the output of each head allowing us to plug in four jammer heads to the front. At the time Escort’s engineering staff never explored the possibility of a “diehard” laser jammer enthusiast going out buying two ZR4 shifters and installing all four heads to the front in one system and they didn’t know how their hardware/software would perform in such a situation. Again not one to miss a new opportunity we did test this scenario, however for our application we did not notice any significant performance results that we could measure.

One of the most important factors I did find in our three months of testing was the importance of having the heads perfectly square and level with the vehicle. We first used the new “ratchet mounting” system that comes with the ZR4 for our tests. The install of the front heads were much easier, however we could never get the heads perfectly level as it seemed that we were always off a notch or two. Although we were within the manual’s guidelines of being level within five degrees our performance took a nosedive when tested against the deadly Stalker laser gun. Thankfully the ZR4 comes with an alternate mounting system, so we used double sided automotive mounting tape and changed out mounting systems. This allowed us to get within two to three degrees of level and dramatically increasing the performance of the laser jamming system.

This weekend we spent several hours testing the final production model of the ZR4 against my hoard of laser guns and the results were nothing short of fantastic!

The following is distance in feet that the laser gun first obtained a reading on the test vehicle (punch through distance)

* COM: Center of Mass
* DSHL: Drivers Side Headlight
* JTG: Jam to Gun

Both Escort and Beltronics will be marketing the Shifter ZR4 under the Cincinnati Microwave brand name and the jammer is compatible with the Escort and Bel Pro series line of radar detectors.

Thumbs up to the engineering staff at Escort/Beltronics to their commitment to develop what I feel is one of the most advanced laser defense system available in the USA today!  

Radar Roy’s Badge Rating
Five Stars

The new G4 Veil “stealth anti-laser coating” has gone into final production and the “Veil Guy” made a special trip out to our new testing facility with a Shelby Mustang that we tested on our half mile paved airstrip.

We performed baseline testing without the Veil applied and we were able to “tag” his Mustang at over 1200 feet away. After applying his new improved G4 version of Veil to the headlamps he was able to reduce his punch through distances as much as 80%!

We also “Veiled” the headlamps of a white Toyota Sequoia SUV which is a much harder vehicle to beat with only a passive laser coating, and saw punch through reduction fall as much as 50%!

The following video demonstrates on how to apply the Veil coating and shows an impressive run against an LTI laser gun at 98 mph where the punch through rate was only 128 feet without any other laser countermeasure device installed.

Radar Roy’s Badge Rating
Five Stars