KA, K, DETECTION BEST RANGE RADAR DETECTOR OUT THERE...

NONE, IT COULD HAVE A COMPASS. BUT YOU AIN'T BUYING THE 8500 FOR THAT. YOU ARE GETTING PURELY FOR RANGE AND BEING THE BEST. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RADAR DETECTOR BUT YO U ARE STILL AT A THREAT TO LASER, WHICH THEN YOU REQUIRE A LASER JAMMER. BLINDER EXTREME.

THIS IS THE BEST RADAR DETECTOR EVER MADE!!! i HAVE HAD THIS TYPE OF RADAR FOR ABOUT 11 MONTHS NOW. i PREVIOUSLY OWNED A COBRA AND A WHISTLER, WHICH HAD NO COMPRASION. The 8500 has saved me many times, in fact today. It picks up the Radar Signals before any other radar detector. The Valentine One, the Bel, does not compare. The 8500 has been around for many years, and those types of radar detectorsdo not come close. As RADARTEST.COM tested the radar detectors. There reliable test PROVED the 8500 is the WORLD'S BEST. NOTHING COME CLOSE!!!!

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COBRA WHISTLER EXPERIENCE WITH V1 NOTHING COMES CLOSE TO THE 8500, IT IS THE BEST AND ALWAYS WILL.

FRONT AND REAR DETECTION FAR SUPERIOR IN ALL BANDS TO THE PASSPORT 8500. DIGITAL VOICE RECOGNITION NOT INSTALLED WITH THE PASSPORT 8500. BLOWS THE 8500 OUT COMPLETLY IN REAR DETECTION. HAS ACCUSWEEP- A MODE ALLOWING FEWER FALSING IN KA BAND BECAUSE IT SCANS A SMALLER PORTION OF THE BANDWIDTH PROVIDING A FASTER RESPONSE.

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THIS BEL 985 IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE PASSPORT 8500 ONCE AGAIN. THERE ARE MANY WEAKNESSES ON THE PASSPORT 8500 INCLUDING POOR REAR DETECTION, NO DIGITAL VOICE AND KA BAND TENDS TO FALSE AND GIVE LESS RANGE THAN THE BEL 985. WHETHER FROM FRONT OR REAR, THE BEL 985 OUTPERFORMS IN ALMOST EVERY ASPECT, ESPECIALLY FROM THE REAR. AND IT HAS A MODE CALLED "ACCUSWEEP" WHICH PASSPORT 8500 DOESNT HAVE WHICH PINPOINTS ALL 3 KA FREQUENCIES WITHOUT EXTRA FALSING ON THE KA BANDWIDTH-VERY IMPORTANT FOR ONE, IT SCANS A SMALLER PORTION OF THE KA BANDWIDTH, GIVING A FASTER, ACCURATE RESPONSE DUE TO IT HAVING TO SCAN LESS OF THE BAND WIDTH. VERY LITTLE FALSING AND IF IT DOES FALSE, (USUALLY ITS IN KX BAND), THEN TURN IT OFF-IF NOT USED IN YOUR STATE OR AREA WHICH IS ALMOST EVERYWHERE SINCE ITS ALL K OR KA OR LASER NOW ADAYS. THE PRICE IS ALSO BETTER AND HAS A BETTER RANGE IN EVERY BAND BUT LACKS A LITTLE TO THE PASSPORT ON HILLS, BUT IM TALKING A FRACTION BEHIND ACCORDING TO TESTING, SO CLOSE ITS NOT WORTH PAYING THE EXTRA 50 BUCKS FOR IT. DIGITAL VOICE MEANS ALOT WHILE DRIVING SINCE YOU DONT WANT TO TAKE EYES OFF ROAD AND THE BEL 985 OFFERS THIS AND ALOT MORE. I ALSO HAVE THE BEL LASER PRO 904 WHICH IS CONSIDERABLY ESS THAN THE ESCORT ZR3 SHIFTER AND SO FAR HAS SAVED ME FROM LASER 5 TIMES IN 6 MONTHS. THEY GOT NO READING AT ALL OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN PULLED DOING 60 IN A 35 BUT HAD ENOUGH TIME TO SLOW AND PRESS DISARM BEFORE THEY COULD GET A READ ON ME. SO MANY PLUSSES WITH THE BEL LINE OF PRODUCTS. YES, THE PASSPORT 8500 WOULD BE MY NEXT CHOICE SINCE THEY OWN BELTRONICS, BUT I STARTED 15 YEARS AGO BUYING PASSPORTS, THEN IN 1991, I TURNED THE REIGN OVER TO BEL AND HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK, ALWAYS BUYING THE NEWEST UNITS AND I HAVE FRIENDS THAT OWN A PASSPORT 8500 AND WE TEST THEM ALL THE TIME-ESPECIALLY IN K BAND(MOST DRONES THAT SHOW YOUR SPEED OPERATE IN K BAND) AND MY BEL 985 ALERTED A FULL QUARTER MILE AND AROUND THE CURVE BEFORE THE PASSPORT EVEN BEEPED ONCE-ON SEPERATE RUNS IN THE SAME CAR WITH DIFFERENT DETECTORS TO SEE WHERE EACH WENT OFF AND THEN THE BEL KEPT GOING ONCE DRIVEN BY THE DRONE FROM THE REAR PICKING UP THE RADAR FOR ANOTHER 2 PLUS MILES WHERE THE PASSPORT DIDNT EVEN MAKE A HALF MILE FROM THE REAR. PERSONAL TESTING WITH THESE UNITS HAS LEFT ME WITH ONLY ONE CONCLUSION....BEL 985 OUTPERFORMS THE PASSPORT 8500 IN ALMOST EVERYWAY POSSIBLE AND I DONT CARE WHAT OTHER MAGAZINES SAY IS THE BEST-ITS ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY FOR ADVERTISING YOU SPEND AND YOULL GET A GOOD REVIEW, WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS TRY IT OUT AND GET READY FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE BEST FORM WITH THE BEL 985!!!

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PASSPORT 8500, VALENTINE ONE-(JUNK) AND COBRA UNITS.

Unbeleivable range,Programing ease,look,features

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I just got my Passport 8500 last week.I left the same day on a trip to San Antonio,Tx from here in Baton Rouge,La.The Passport 8500 performed way beyond my expectations! It alerted me to Ka and K bands on numerous occasions.Most alerts were over 2 miles.In Texas they use alot of KA Instant-on and it was no problem with the 8500.I am a truck driver(I took this trip in a car)I have read that the 8500 does not do well with rear alerts.Well on this trip I passed 2 officers with Ka pointed away from me(They were searching a car)As I drove away ,the 8500 kept the alet sounding for a incredible 4 miles.Now that was not pointed at me,but away(West) and I was traveling EAST.So much for the rear alert not working.I drove at speeds averaging 90mph.No problem.What a detector! I am IMPRESSED!

very sensitive..excellent range..nice silencer power cord is a vey handy feature!!

$299 --I kinda wish it was a bit cheaper..but you get what you pay for

Excellent Product!! Escort has a trade in program!! Unfortunately they do not advertise it, so I threw away a Passport 4500 that had power problems..I could have gotten a break but on the bright side I told Escort and they sent me a new power cord for my 2nd escort 4500..

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Escort(original big black box)..then a newer model..then bought 2 4500 (one still works strong)..now this 8500

The range, sensitivity and features of this unit is great. The multiple threat meter is my choice for view, since most of our speed traps in NW Florida seem to come in pairs. For me, the Ka sensitivity is crucial, since it's the choice for radar around town and on I-10, and this detector has proven its capabilities. The smart cord is a wise piece of equipment and is easier to access the mute button on my car, since it sits close to my shifter.

I wish the unit were black, which it makes it a little harder to see from the outside of my windsheild (not supposed to have radar detectors on military bases.) Last, for a $299 unit, lets go ahead and throw in voice alerts. At times, it can be hard to distinguish the tones, and can't glance at the detector to see what band is measuring you. Otherwise this is a solid detector.

I've now used this detector for two weeks and I am loving it. I purchased the 8500 to replace a 1.5 yr old Bel 980 that served me well. I would've gone back to Bel for the 985, but I wanted to try the 8500. So far, the range is comparable to my Bel 980, and it seems that I'm not receiving as many false alerts with this unit. I think I'm going to wear this one out until newer technology emerges. Just remember, buy a detector with Digital Signal Processing. That will make a difference when sniffing out the newer emerged superwide Ka band. You get what you pay for.

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In the late 80's and early 90's I used a Cobra Trapshooter, then, I spent my money on a Bel 745i (I believe.) Later in 2001 I bought a Cobra 9200, which I would not recommend any Cobra radar detectors

the range, it's great!

a little heavy, but small price to pay for a good detector.

Just picked up the passport 8500 last weekend and so far it's the best radar detector I have owned. After I bought it I was driving home on I-29, and it picked up a hwy patrol from atleast a mile away, if not more. This is my 5th radar detector and the others don't even compare.

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cobra, whistler, bel

Long range warnning,very few false alert's. THE BEST RADAR AND LASER DETECTOR AT ANY PRIVE REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE SAYS.

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I think that some people on here need to get real. I mean come off of it. First of all NO radar detector can;t see what's not there. If a cop dose not have his or her radar on then REGARDLESS of what kind of detector you have it's not going to go off. I think that if people do not understand how radar and laser work then they should NOT have a radar detector in there car in the first place. I have been useing detectors now for well over 30+ years and nothing and I me nothing even come's close to the Passport 8500 not even the Valentine one I know because I used a V1 for 3+ year's and comparded to the V1 the 8500 blow's it away. I drive for a living so iam on the road all the time and so I get a change to test my detector's out and right now the Passport 8500 is killing the Competition. I have picked up K band from at least 4 miles away. I have picked up KA band from over 7 miles away and X band from at least 1 mile away and last but not least I have picked up laser from 2 miles away. So I really hate it when people try to put down such a good product. There is so much bougs CRAP being said on here it's not even funny at all. If there is a better detector then the Passport 8500? then I will find it. But as of right now there is nothing better and it's save to say that the 8500 is going to be the best for a very long time at least from what I can see. The Passport 8500 dose everything right and is the best detector at ANY price.

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To many to lest.

Good K and Ka range.

a lot of false alerts, useless in areas with banks, supermarkets, etc.

After reading reviews for the 8500 from several websites, I decided to give it the 30-day test drive and see how it performed under my driving conditions. I don't consider myself a "wreckless driver", but I like to comfortably drive in the left lane at speeds that the state patrol may find unacceptable. Anyway, most of my driving is highway, along I-90, and there are many choice spots that cops choose to monitor traffic because the speed limit drops from 70 mph to 60 mph. I strapped on my 8500 and headed west towards Seattle on a Saturday afternoon. I was about a half mile from the point where cops often reside, and the 8500 was silent. As I neared the overpass, I could see the grill of the cruiser just barely sticking out from behind the concrete. As I got closer, I could see his light bar across the top and still nothing from the 8500. I moved over to the right lane and took my foot off the pedal, and as I cruised by at 65 mph, the 8500 started screaming "K|||||||||". The signal wanned as I passed, and I pulled off at the next exit. I re-entered the freeway heading east to take another pass. I knew the crusier monitoring the traffic heading west, but I was skeptical at best that the 8500 would be able to notice. Sure enough, I didn't get anything until I was flying by the state patrol car. A poor first trial. A few weeks later, I took a trip from Seattle towards Spokane (West on I-90). I came across several patrol cars without any early warning. It wasn't until I was very close that the 8500 picked up anything at all. There were a couple of times that I was saved on a residential road where the speed limit was posted at 30 mph. I picked up some chirps again on the K-Band and slowed down to found around the corner and over the hill was a cop, mounted on his bike. This was impressive. After 6 months of use, I developed mixed feelings about the 8500. Sometimes, ot gave my plenty of warning, and others, I could have been toast. I ended up selling the unit on eBay and am considering a V1.

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whister & cobra

Nice features including easy windshield detach button, Spec display, EZ programming. Smartcord was OK but doesn't give you enough info. Good value for the money.

Less range than the V1, but still seemed adequate. Expert Meter mode was NOT impressive. Even when the Spec Meter mode bounced back & forth between two different K-band signals at a specific location, the Expert Meter mode would only show one K-band source. This could prove costly if you trusted this mode in a staggered 2-smokey speed trap. Bottom line was that after using both units for awhile, I simply trusted the V1 more.

After reading reviews in Radartest.com, Speedzones.com, and CarandDriver.com, I was thoroughly confused. Radartest accuses CarandDriver of having a bias in favor of Valentine. Valentine accuses Radartest's Craig Peterson of being biased against Valentine. Bottom line, who can you believe? Well I took the advice of Mr. Valentine himself. His website suggests buying a V1 and the Passport 8500 and deciding for yourself. So I did. Obviously I'm not an expert tester nor can I extensively test each radar band, so take this for what its worth. The source of my main test was using a fixed K-radar display gun that our local PD places in various locales around town. This is one of those low powered/low intensity radar guns that displays drivers' speeds as they drive by for their own information. With only one detector on and mounted at a time, I drove toward, past, turned around and drove back from behind the unit and past again. I compared not only these two detectors but also my old Whistler 945. I couldn't measure in feet of response, but rather in seconds. The V1 alerted me at least 3 seconds at 50MPH ahead of the Passport which was at least 4 seconds ahead of the Whistler. The V1 actually picked up the radar from farther away than the Passport in all directions of travel. I repeated this test several times without any significant variation. So what did this isolated test mean to me? Well, assuming V1's K-band sensitivity is slightly better than the Passport's, then that would validate the reports given by Speedzones.com and CarandDriver.com who reported the same findings. How radartest.com ended up with the Passport's K-band sensitivity being greater I don't know. Also, while doing this test with the V1, it began picking up some Ka signal as well. As I merged into another highway the directional arrows went from sideways to behind. Looking back down the other highway I was merging with was a cruiser about 15-20 car lengths back. I don't think I would've located him as quickly even if the Passport is as Ka-sensitive b/c you wouldn't have the arrows to give you the visual clues of where to look first. I let the cruiser pass and fell back until the V1 barely registered a Ka alert (which was contant). I turned it off & powered up the 8500...but got nothing. I gained some ground until the 8500 began barely picking up signal then switched again. The V1 was picking up a moderate signal at that point. This little sidenote off my original test was far less controlled, with other explanations for this discrepency including vehicle blocking or a momentary radar turn-off. However, it felt valid at the time and does seem to fall right in line with the Speedzones.com and CarandDriver.com tests. After driving with both a few weeks, I liked them both quite well. The Passport has some cool features that I personally liked and wished the V1 had. If I wanted the best detector for the money, I would've kept the 8500. However, I kept the V1 b/c my tests, along with the websites mentioned above that I now trust, indicated the V1 to have superior range. It was worth an extra $100 for superior range and those directional arrows. Of course, with the extra sensitivity comes a few extra false alarms but it wasn't significantly worse than the 8500. Plus the arrows help you ignore a few of those falses anyway.

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V1

Will definately catch the X, K, Ka bands of radar with plenty of time to slow down.

Laser signals seemed to elude the Passport 8500.

I haven't had a radar detector before so I don't have anything to compare it with, however, I just took a trip from central Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I used counrty roads, highways and the freeway. The Passport 8500 performed very well on X, K, and Ka bands. However, I was picked up twice with laser. I didn't know it was a laser signal until it was too late. Fortunately for me, they were looking for bigger fish. Unless I'm using it wrong (auto mode) it didn't pick up the laser until it was too late.

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