Here’s the scene: my buddy and I had just gotten my car from the shop and were cruising home in our respective vehicles, he armed with the Passport 8500 (he got sold on some ridiculous internet detector tests), and me packing a January, 1994-made Valentine One.
I pick up a distant K threat and start shedding speed. Oddly, my buddy keeps on. I’m thinking he’s got to have the alert; after all, he has the latest detector (later I found out, nope, he did not have the signal before me). Finally he slows and, sure enough, there’s the roadside man writing up an invite to the policeman’s ball.
Now it gets good. Of course I mute the existing alert as we drive by and so does my pal. As soon as we get past, my V1 bogey locks, overrides my mute, and shows a second radar threat dangerously close up ahead. Now, I am well aware of the Passport 8500’s claimed ability to track multiple threats, so I’m thinking, “no problem, my buddy up ahead can deal with this.” I keep my speed in order. He, however, dials up to full insane.
Apparently, when he muted the first K-band signal, his 8500 never sounded another warning. The second K-band signal snuck in on him while his Passport was on mute for the first one.
What good does it do you to track multiple signals if the unit doesn’t warn of a new threat? I remember that being a problem with my old Escort DSP; when I muted it, the detector went “blind” for the duration of that signal, letting anything new get in on me. I guess detector’s haven’t changed much. Passport 8500 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Just go ask my buddy about his $195 speeding ticket.
Derek Revello
Winfield, Illinois