Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
by Escort Inc.
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Our Price: $279.99
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Category: Car Audio or Theater
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Escort Inc.Brand: Escort
Edition: Electronics
Format: CD
Model: Passport 8500 X50
Publisher: Escort Inc.
Studio: Escort Inc.
Music Label: Escort Inc.
Product features:
- Sophisticated long-range radar and laser detector reads all police, conventional, and "instant-on" radar
- Digital signal processing provides maximum range while minimizing false alarms
- Identifies up to 8 radar signals simultaneously
- Reprogrammable microprocessor can detect new radar and laser threats
- Red matrix display with 280 LEDs; 1-year limited warranty
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
Customer Review: One of the best detectors you can buy.... for now!
Summary: 4 Stars
Overview: Having been accustomed to the Beltronics line of radar detectors with voice alerts, it was a bit frustrating to get used to the Escort Passport 8500 x50's lack of voice alerts. However, it was not too hard to get used to the different tones on the x50 when using the Expert display mode as a set of "training wheels." The performance of the 8500 x50 is top notch in K and Ka band sensitivity. It offers POP detection for K and Ka band radar, along with superior Laser detection. It was one of the few detectors that could detect laser aimed at the front license plate (the other detector was the venerable but formidable Valentine 1). The Escort Passport 8500 x50 is essentially the same as the Passport 8500, except the x50 offers POP detection and a firmware upgrade. The latest firmware revision of the Passport 8500 x50 as of this review is 6.10. The upcoming Escort Passport 9500i shows great promise in being an even better detector.
Installation: The power cord system is straightforward. It uses a standard RJ-11 telephone jack. The smart cord systems with the LED and remote mute button require a 4-wire RJ-11 connection, while a standard direct-wire would only utilize the 2 center leads in the RJ-11 jack: red (+12V) and green (GND). The Escort Passport 8500 x50 uses the standard Escort mounts such as the windshield suction cup bracket or the visor clip. A note of caution when buying a visor clip: The clip is inferior compared to the older Beltronics visor/windshield combination mounts. The Escort clip will NOT allow you to adjust the radar detector, but instead it follows the slope of the visor.
Pros: The Expert display mode allows simultaneous displaying of up to 8 radar signals total, in all 3 bands. For example, if you are receiving 2 X-band signals, 1 K band signal, and 1 Ka band signal, the display will show X K Ka followed by bars of different heights signifying the signal quantity and strength. It is similar to the Valentine 1 bogey counter, except the x50 uses a much more advanced and intuitive layout. The K, Ka, and Laser sensitivity is almost on-par with the Valentine 1 in real-world tests as well as tests published online by various communities. The filtering algorithms in the x50 are exceptional, but it will still report strong signals from door sensors, highway signs, and other "false alerts."
Cons: The lack of voice alerts makes it cumbersome to use. I had to frequently look at the display to see what it was detecting until I got somewhat accustomed to the different tones. The loud tone setting is very annoying (max X and K band signals sound like missile lock tones that do not get automuted), so I recommend keeping it on standard tones (will get automuted over time). The visor/windshield mounting system is something left to be desired. I wish Escort used Beltronics' mounting systems when the two firms merged, rather than force-feed the Escort mounting system onto all future Beltronics models (the RX-65 and Vector 995i all use the Escort mounts).
Summary: With newer detectors over the horizon, such as the Passport 9500i, the prices will begin to drop for the 8500 x50 so it may be a great time to upgrade your older detector for one of the best on the market.
1). Multiple radar detection in the form of signal labels and individual bar graphs, as well as signal prioritization. Basically if it detects 3 X-band door sensors and a Ka instant-on, you will hear the Ka alert rather than the 3 X-band door sensors, but the Expert display will show all 4 signals and 4 bar graphs.
2). The 8500 x50 is more aesthetically pleasing with more display brightness settings and programmable default controls. You can set the x50 so that it starts off at a certain brightness setting, as well as tweak the default display mode.
3). The 8500 x50 can be automuted so that the detector doesn't require manual muting to ignore the audible alert.
4). Individual band control. You can turn POP detection, X, K, Ka, and Laser on or off individually depending on what systems are used in your area.
5). High X, K, Ka, and Laser sensitivity. It may not be the absolute king of the hill based on EMI chamber sensitivity tests, but it is close enough to the V1 that the price and extra features of the 8500 x50 make the Escort Passport 8500 x50 a significantly better buy without compromising radar detection performance.
6). The upcoming Passport 9500i will most likely blow the 8500 x50 out of the water, but at almost twice the price.
Description of Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar and Laser Detector (Red Display)
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. |
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. |
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
- Pop detection not enabled by default
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