Passport 9500i packs GPS into a radar detector for double the fun

If you suffer from a pricey speed addiction, a nasty habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just happen to enjoy breaking the law, you might want to give Escort's Passport 9500i radar detector a look-see. Along with the traditional radar detector functionality of giving you a bleep or three when you need to slow down, the 9500i carries a GPS payload that allows for all sorts of exciting possibilities. First off, you can let the detector know about false alarm spots -- such as an automatic door sensor -- and keep the 9500i from alerting you to those specific radar frequencies when you're in that area. Even if a copper happens to show up next to that false alarm location, the detector will be able to differentiate and sound the alarm. The detector also lets you mark common speed trap locations so that the 9500i can remind you when they're coming up and you can engage your cloaking device slow down in time. Other intelligence boosts have made it into the Passport as well, but you'll sure be paying for the convenience: it'll take a whoppin' $450 to score yourself one of these, so you had better better be in great need of its ticket-dodging prowess.

[tnkgrl @ Feb 7th 2007 7:01PM]

Cool, but does it have Bluetooth? Then you could have it interface with your phone and set a special ringer to alert you. Or you could have it interface with your computer and use software to set 'danger zones". Or you could have it interface with GPS software like a standard GPS receiver.

[AlphaGeek @ Feb 7th 2007 7:04PM]

I've actually been hoping for a radar-detector company to incorporate a Bluetooth GPS chipset (preferably something based on the SiRF III) into a high-grade detector so I can reduce the clutter on my dash. Bummer that they decided to keep all of that GPS goodness locked up inside the device instead of sharing with others.

Looks like my wait is going to go on a little longer. I mean, they've tried converging everything *but* a radar detector into those all-in-one GPS satnav units, so it's just a matter of time...

[BAMF @ Feb 8th 2007 3:29AM]

On the site it indicates a Mini-USB port on the right side. I wonder if you could use this to interface the GPS to a laptop? They don't state the purpose of the USB on the site, but I'd bet it's probably just for firmware updates or loading known speed traps/camera locations.

[bgdc @ Feb 7th 2007 7:15PM]

And yet it still can't tell you if the radar lies ahead, behind or to the side and thus the Valentine One is still the superior system.

[Jeffro @ Feb 7th 2007 8:21PM]

GPS has been in radar detectors for years. When I was in the market for one a few years back, GPS sounded too good to be true -- use GPS to remember the location of stationary false alarms (Safeway automatic doors, "your speed is XX" billboards, etc) that pepper your normal route to work, and your signal-to-noise ratio becomes better. However the reviews I read of this GPS feature all indicated that while it sounds great in theory, it sucks in the real world. I wonder if the technology has improved at all.

I ended up with the Valentine One, and agree with bgdc. It's one of the best detectors I've ever owned. It's not littered with knobs and buttons and confusing modes -- it's just got an old-school analog on/off/volume knob. And once you've used it for about a year and understand all the nuances of how the alarm conveys direction, intensity, and band, it becomes second-nature to be able to tell a false alarm from a real cop.

[Chase @ Feb 7th 2007 8:15PM]

why does it matter what direction the signal is coming from? either way you have to slow down until the signal fades. i've used both the valentine one and the escort 8500 side by side. the escort was much better picking up Ka Bands (which is what's used most by police where I live. Dallas, Tx). and the valentine was better at picking up K band (which is what most automatic door openers use, therefore more false alarms). i was using them side by side and just got annoyed by the valentine. I could care less what direction the signal is coming from. I just knew when the escort went off, I had to slow down.

[Andir3.0 @ Feb 7th 2007 8:41PM]

I wish my Passport had GPS with theft tracking ...then I might be able to find that son of a bitch that stole my detector and break his passenger window as well. Maybe even his driver window, rear window, windshield, headlights, tires, hood, fenders, doorpanels, sunroof (if available)...

[Brendan @ Feb 7th 2007 9:15PM]

I maintain that there should just be a graduated system where people can obtain a license to drive fast, and the government stiffens the penalties on speeders without said licenses.

Of course, it would also require people drive in the proper lanes...which is apparently impossible in the Northeast >:C

[Andir3.0 @ Feb 8th 2007 5:54AM]

Yeah, I second that. But my suggestion would place a "behind the mirror" plate or some sort of license plate surround that would identify your "driver class" Then you could have colored lane stripes and each lane would have a speed category. Hell, if you wanted to be ultra hard on people that break these rules, if anyone sees you driving in the wrong lane, they can pop a photo and forward it to the authorities.

[Gadget Guy @ Feb 7th 2007 9:24PM]

Unfortunately this is not unique. The Uniden GPSRD, from 5 years ago had this, along with a compass and rudimentary navigation system (major cities only)
with a general arrow to turn when you could + distance to location.
You could also tap onto the circuit board to bring TTL data into your
RS-232 adapter. Bluetooth would have been the perfect addition to keep
this from being a "me-too" device. Considering the lack of serial
ports on laptops, you could do the same TTL adaptation.

http://www.techtalkback.com

[carl.rasmussen @ Feb 7th 2007 9:26PM]

I had the unit till it was stolen

[John Doe @ Feb 7th 2007 10:06PM]

Radar detectors seem to be more and more pointless with cities going LASER. I've never understood the concept of LASER detectors either. Its a coherent beam of light that doesn't scatter as well as something like radar. Once it hits you, you are tagged so what's the point of detecting it?

[Bryan @ Feb 7th 2007 11:24PM]

I will absolutely NEVER give up my Valentine.

Dropped $400 on it 3 years ago and have had a dozen or so times where it saved my ass, including just this past weekend heading back up to Phoenix from Tucson. 100 in a 75 heading towards an overpass and Ka started to go off and got stronger and stronger. When I saw it happening I pulled out my camera and got it all on video. WELL worth the money and I will never look back.

[Rusty @ Feb 7th 2007 11:45PM]

Is it just me?
If you are in that much of a hurry, leave sooner?
With LiDAR, laser, instant on etc...usually when I'm riding
with a deputy, he leaves it in standby and triggers it at will.
He gets more speeders that way than just leaving it on all the
time. Plus, ANYONE he tags that has a detector, gets a ticket.
I'd LOVE to see an American autobahn, but, the idiots in this
country do NOT know what the LEFT lane is for (for those of you in europe, we the driving lane is the RIGHT lane, passing is suppose to be in the LEFT)

[JWHEELS @ Feb 8th 2007 1:18AM]

Once you've owned a Valentine you can never go back. Escort/Passport don't have a thing on them.

[Edward @ Feb 8th 2007 2:04AM]

This seems like a worthy investment. Out here in California some of our speeding tickets can reach over $400 in 1 shot. I find it easy to justify this device because if it allows you to avoid even 1 ticket, it has already almost paid for itself

[Jon @ Feb 8th 2007 2:07AM]

hahaha now it's $50 more than a V1? Come on.

[Randy @ Mar 4th 2007 8:12PM]

They told me that the USB currently does not work. But they hope to use it in the future to back up and then restore your saved locations, if they had to repair or replace your unit.
I also asked the salesperson, and he told me the 9500i can store 5000 locations in memory.
I have a question that maybe you can answer. How long from power up to ready, does it take for the GPS to lock in your location?

[Demetrius @ Feb 8th 2007 9:15AM]

Why doesnt a GPS company (TomTom, Garmin, etc) incorporate a radar detector into their Navi systems? That way, its easier to hide, er...takes up less space on your dash! And the programmability is already there!

[spike @ Feb 8th 2007 2:00PM]

Yeah and whats great is that the GPS can prove you were speeding.

[MaXGTS @ Feb 10th 2007 10:50AM]

Valentine One owner here too. The only minor complaint I have with it is occassional false Laser warnings. Scare the crap out of me.

[Glenn Montague @ Feb 11th 2007 12:03PM]

Passport and Google Earth: No one will ever get a ticket again.

[Lockout888 @ Feb 16th 2007 4:49PM]

I have owned the Bel RX65, Escort 8500 x50 and a Valentine 1. I like a lot of the features of the Beltronics and Escort better than the V1, but the arrows make the V1 worth having. I did get better Ka range on the Bel & Escort, and better K range on the V1.

Now Escort has come out with the 9500i that can lockout false alerts via GPS and frequency. Eliminating false alarms is more appealing to me than the arrows. Otherwise, I would be sticking to the V1.

Uniden came out with the GPSRD around 2001, and had similar features but did not have good radar detection, caused other radar detectors to false and many of them had hardware failures. Needless to say, Uniden is no longer producing radar detectors.

If you read reviews over at http://radardetector.net - 9500i owners are very happy so far.

[Cliff @ Feb 19th 2007 1:46PM]

If its made by Escort Electronics, you should trust them. In 2005, I bought a 7500S (actually when the 8500X50 was already out) and it has personally saved me from dozens of speeding tickets. The expert mode and range are two really great features of that model. So, in short, simply looking at this detector assures me that if you are willing to spend the money, speeding tickets should no longer be a problem.

[BAMF @ Mar 5th 2007 12:36AM]

I do not actually own one of these, I just spotted the USB in a picture on Passport's website. According to the specs though, the GPS chip used is a SiRFstar III, which is widely regarded as the best chip on the market. I would imagine that it can acquire a signal just as fast as any other GPS device on the market now. Hope that helps.

[Richard Spaulding @ Apr 17th 2007 3:28PM]

I just purchased the 9500 i. Not for the purpose of speeding but to protect myself when I’m not paying attention as is what happened last week when I got my first ticket in many years. I was driving down a country road at 50, as I had know idea I was going that fast in a 35 zone. The cop car was coming the other way with his radar on. I was lucky I got a written warning however I can’t allow this to happen again. Even though I don’t knowingly speed I am more than willing to shell out the 449.95 to see that it doesn’t.

[Richard Spaulding @ Apr 20th 2007 12:00AM]

just spent my first day driving around with the new 9500i. It is an amazing device I only encountered 2 false alerts all day and both were easily locked out using the gps feature. On the highway I encountered a k band alert that gave me about 20 seconds warning before I could even see him or more importantly before he could see me. You know the old saying it does everything but talk to you. Well it does that to lol

[Finlan @ May 8th 2007 1:03AM]

Hopefully someone will hack the 9500i, or passport will release software so people can share their TrueLock configurations...

http://www.9500i.net

[P @ Nov 26th 2007 2:03PM]

I had a Uniden radar detector with GPS built in that did the same thing. The GPS idea was good, but the radar detector part was terrible. An Escort with GPS marking should be amazing.