Radar Detector Vertical Bracket

[GTSPECB STI]

Those with radar detectors maybe interested in this little test we are doing.

 

I bought a vertical brackets yesterday for my Escort X50 http://www.delonixradar.com.au/prod...al_bracket.html

 

Install is simple but finding the right place is still a bit question mark for me and I will be experimenting to find the best option.

 

First Impressions:

On the way to a mates place last night I got my first hit on a multinova with the new bracket. It actually suprised me how much more notice I got with vertical install. So I doubled back and did the test both vbertically and horizontally. The vertical position def picked up the signal from a greater distance and much stronger.

 

Anyway once I have run it vertically for a month I will do a full report but for now I have to say it's a significant improvement over horizontal positon.

PS don't let the RHD confuse you!

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j60/Aussiedave_2006/MY07%20Liberty%20GTB%20STI/P1010050.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j60/Aussiedave_2006/MY07%20Liberty%20GTB%20STI/P1010052.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j60/Aussiedave_2006/MY07%20Liberty%20GTB%20STI/P1010057.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j60/Aussiedave_2006/MY07%20Liberty%20GTB%20STI/P1010054.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j60/Aussiedave_2006/MY07%20Liberty%20GTB%20STI/P1010056.jpg

[dasbigunit]

crazy!

[chikmagnet]

One Question

WHY?

[dmiller5]

i would KILL for your black center console

[eb50]

i would KILL for your black center console

 

and the seats

[TSiWRX]

"Crazy!" and "Why?" are certainly expected responses - but there's a good explaination, and it's within the OP's post above:

 

...I got my first hit on a multinova with the new bracket. It actually suprised me how much more notice I got with vertical install. So I doubled back and did the test both vbertically and horizontally. The vertical position def picked up the signal from a greater distance and much stronger.

 

There's some debate as to exactly what "polarization" means - and honestly, this can be quite confusing to explain.

 

So without taking a true definition of vertical vs. horizontal polarization into play, let's just say that the Multinova's polarization is agreed, mostly, that at least in the EU, "vertical" mounting of the detector can be advantageous.

 

However, this is a strict application of one specific countermeasure, targeted to combat a very specific threat.

 

Facing any other threat, using this kind of mounting, detector performance may be significantly decreased.

[Ronin Spec. B]

Wonder if that vertical bracket didn't increase the radar antenna's line of sight by a 1/2 an inch or so? Do you like your Passport? I'm in search of a new detector setup for my ride and am considering a remote unit. Any suggestions?

[TSiWRX]

Wonder if that vertical bracket didn't increase the radar antenna's line of sight by a 1/2 an inch or so?

 

Dunno....

 

"Vertical mounting" is one of those "black magic" areas where the info. seems to conflict, but the data (albeit rather qualitative), seems to be favorable. Specifically, it's used to address these differently-polarized systems that motorists overseas, sees.

 

Do you like your Passport? I'm in search of a new detector setup for my ride and am considering a remote unit. Any suggestions?

 

For the time being, my x50 serves me pretty well. My daily commute is through rather noise-dense areas with lots of non-LEO signals, and the x50, set to "City LoX," makes for a pretty darned quiet commute while allowing for good pickup of my local threats (mostly K-band).

 

One of the local townships which I commute through uses 35.5 GHz Ka, where this detector (and particularly my old revision, my unit is a 3-year old Rev.5 model) is noted to have a large blind-spot from off-axis, but in my experience, even with instant-on, its on-axis performance is pretty decent, and that's thankfully all that I need, given the typical enforcement scenarios presented by those same locals.

 

I'm contemplating upgrading to the 9500i, particularly as it seems that Escort is very, very close to having all the bugs worked through and as its performance is a significant improvement over the x50. However, given my budget concerns, I am likely still a few months off from this upgrade. If this item is within your budget-range, it is definitely worth considering, particularly if you live in a false-dense area and prefer a quieter detector.

 

Undeniably, the V1 is still king of full situational awareness - including extreme sensitivity. However, whether or not you will be able to stand its constant chatter (particularly if you do not use any of the advanced programming features to raise the noise threshold) will be a personal-preference issue that you'll need to work through.

 

If you live in a detector-banned area, the Bel STi Driver is still your best and, IMveryHO, *only* choice. No other detector is fully cloaked, and you'd be paying a justified premium towards this detector's capabilities as such. [ An alternative, fully-integrated (explained below), would be to await the stateside introduction of the Bel STi-R, or source it through, for example, Australia. ]

 

All of these detectors offer remote-mute capabilities, and some even offer remote programming and display capabilities. All can be hardwired very easily.

 

If you are looking for a fully-integrated solution, Escort's Passport SRX/SR7 remains your best current "all in one" package (the similar STi-R mentioned above, however, is not yet available stateside). Note, though, that the laser jamming capabilities of the Escort products (including the "linkable"-to-9500i/x50/and-Bel-counterparts ZR3) is both dated as well as is considered sub-par in terms of performance (with the sole exception in the cases for which your local enforcers use LIDAR equipment that specifically offers favorable jamming profiles for this particular jammer).

[jim1969]

^the radar man! I'm going to upgrade to the 9500i after you.

[TSiWRX]

^ I'm honestly flattered and honored that you think so, bro.

 

Truth be told, I no longer feel hesitant about recommending the 9500i to people whom I know. Escort has been very receptive in terms of updating the product per end-user requests (at Escort's expense, no less), and it honestly seems to me, now, that pretty much everything has been ironed-out.

 

I still think that the True-Lock coverage diameter should be revised, particularly for those of us who live in denser suburban areas, but given that the automatic speed-sensitivity can virtually silence all alerts while at in-city/parking-lot (and sub-PSL) speeds, I am somewhat conflicted here as to whether or not I view this concern as a true "must address."

 

If I had the dough, I'd actually buy one now. But seeing as I don't, I figure that the wait-time won't prove to be any disadvantage, either, seeing as Escort is continuing to update and improve their flagship product.

[jim1969]

do you have to send it to escort to update or do it at home via the usb port?

[TSiWRX]

Currently, it's still "send to Escort" for updates.

 

They're reportedly working on the stuff ( yeah, real technical, ain't I? ) that will (finally) enable end-user updates, but that's still one of those things that's not yet realized.

 

If you're going to buy one now, direct from Escort, you'll want to keep in-mind that they still are working from residual stock that have the "old" audible alert ramp-up scheme (i.e. 1-1-1-1-1-7-7-7-7-10-10-10). If you'd like to have the ramp-up scheme more akin to your x50 (i.e. more linear), you should let them know of your preference at the time-of-purchase, and they will reflash the firmware on the unit that they'll send you, before it's sent.

[TSiWRX]

^ What's ironic is that I have all this stuff, and I *still* don't speed!

[Ryandigi]

does your x50 false on laser when you accelerate hard?

[whobaru]

I would do just about anything to get that Mcintosh system in my car!!

[TSiWRX]

does your x50 false on laser when you accelerate hard?

 

 

^ No. Apparently, I'm lucky and either tapped into a clean power source, or, alternatively, my vehicle's just cleaner in terms of electrical noise.

 

It looks like you've got some noise in your line/tap.

 

Give this a try:

 

http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=26821

 

What our good fellow Scooby driver, armscrafter1, described on his STi is very common on a lot of modern Subarus - and if you gave this a search here, you'll find that this kind of noise-induced falsing has been reported on more than a handful of LGTs, too.

 

armscrafter1's filter method is a bit more complicated, but should be quite "clean" in final appearance. The "choke collar" that Orbital75 posted a pic of in the 7/8th post down in that thread also has been reported to work well (you may need several loops of your hardwire within its core for it to suppress enough noise).

 

I unfortunately cannot guaranty such results, as it's not something that I've tried, myself, but there are a lot of very good reports from such fixes/patches.

 

Best of luck!