I traded in my Passport 9500ix for the new Passport Max, so when the new Max malfunctioned and I had to send it back, I had nothing to fall back on. Escort said two weeks for replacement.
So I decided to get a second detector, as a back-up and also to test against Max to make sure it was functioning. Contrary to some of the things I have read on the Escort forums, Valentine customer service was excellent and two days later I had a new V1.
When the replacement Max returned, I set it up beside V1. I understand that’s a no-no but… So far the detectors have been co-existing without any apparent interference. V1 has proven to be superior in off axis detection as well as radar from the rear, and about the same in detecting signals from the front.
The real story is the bogey counter and the arrows. I had been traveling along with light traffic when the K-band alerts came on both detectors. The speed limit dropped from 45 to 25 at this point, and I could see the “your speed is” display up ahead. The sign had been there awhile and most people, including me, were starting to ignore it. I did slow down a little though. I then noticed the bogey counter was reading not one, but two signals–the K from the sign and a second Ka band signal in front that Max was not showing.
In all fairness, I had the Max’s meter in standard mode. It may have shown both signals in expert mode, but the display is so small I don’t know if I would have picked it up.
I immediately hit the brakes and, sure enough, soon saw the patrol unit parked on the opposite side of the street, its radar pointing right at me. If I had been running the Max alone, I am sure I would not have realized there was a trap just beyond the radar trailer, and would have approached it at ticket speed.
I probably will not keep the Max, even as a back-up because, when it goes beep, I’m wondering “where’s the radar?” and I find myself looking for arrows that are never there.
John Case
Park Ridge, IL