i would change it to another passport model if you're fan of passports. ...or get the V1.

i have an old 7500 in my dd and it's been very reliable. :)

Hmm, I was pretty impressed with how well made and put together it is. Did it fall off the mount? I know you have to be careful to make sure it "clicks" in place to be sure it's secured properly.

Mine picks up GPS signals very quickly, well under a minute. My Garmin GPS takes way longer to get a signal! Do you have it flush against your windshield?

What part of NY are you in? If you're in the city then I can see how the buildings would block the signal, and I can see how the potholes would make it fall out of the mount. :p

I live in florida at the moment, I have it connected to one of those custom "Z" mounts that hang onto the rearview mirror. The first one that was send to me picked up a signal very fast and showed my speed perfectly, so I know it's not how I mounted it. This second one picks up & drops a signal like every minute and glitches when it tries to read my speed.

I'm currently using the V1 and I'm highly disappointed with my purchase. I've had it for about 4 months now and I can't recall a single time when my V1 went off due to a cop. I'm guessing maybe the cops here in L.A never have their radar on or utilizing some cRaZyyyY frequency band that my V1 can't detect. In addition, most of my drive is consisted within the city so there's a false alarm every 10 seconds. :/

Are the cops you pass stationary?
Many cops will ride around with it off now and pop it on instantly if they see someone speeding, radar detectors are great if cops run around with it on 24/7 but they are getting smarter.

I'm being sent a new passport 9500ix, hopefully third time's the charm.

yah, in my area 4 times out of 5, cops do NOT have their radar on while driving around.

most stationary ones have their radar/laser on standby and instant-on. the most
funny ones are on their bicycles and or lawn chair on the side of the road and
cop cars await about 1/4 mile down the road to pull you over. :D

Are you sure they sent you a new one? Often with electronics you get a refurbished warranty replacement. I would push back on the MFR to make it right and send you a NEW new one.

Radar detectors really only work if there are people ahead of you. If someone is ahead of you and speeding, the cop will use instant on and get them, causing your V1/Passport to go off. No radar detector will save you if there aren't many cars on the road, and you're the only one speeding.

That is one BIG reason I love mine. The gps automatically lets you know of known places were they hide and you can tag a new place that you might see them hiding.

That is only if they are using laser, if they are sitting use K or Ka you will have plenty of time to react and slow down. But this is why the rule of never be first or never be last in a group is important.

This isn't entirely true. It depends on where you are and the habits of the cops in that area. If cops in your area only use instant-on, then yeah, what you say is true. But in my area, cops usually leave their radar units on all the time, so even if there aren't any other cars on the road, a radar detector can be very helpful.

I'm thinking maybe you're not familiar with the 'instant-on' method? If a cop turns his radar on and leaves it on, then yes, you'll have plenty of time to react. But sometimes cops use what's known as the 'instant-on' method, which is where they leave their radar off until they see you, then turn it on. So it's actually just like laser in the sense that your detector doesn't go off until the very last second. As I mentioned above, in my area they usually just leave their radar on, thank goodness. But not always. In fact, just this past Monday, I was on my way to the gym at 5am. It was still dark out, and a cop had parked in the median. I couldn't see him at all. One second, everything's completely quiet. Then suddenly my V1 goes off at full strength and I see him sitting there (barely) hiding in the dark. No time to react at all. I was going 15 over but he left me alone. And I was the only car on the road, so not being first or last in a group was not an option. And this is a perfect example of what carfr3ak is talking about.

Radar tech has come a long way, but I would question the accuracy of such a system. I could see it working if he is traveling with you and flips it on and has a few seconds but if you roll by I am not 100% sure the system can "instantly" calculate your speed and report a reading.

Now it could depend on the angle of the cop and how he is stationed and how long the radar can ping your car so I am sure it can happen. Luckily cops here only use laser/k/ka, and if they are using k or ka they just leave them on.

The freakiest radar incident that I've ever had happen to me actually just happened a few months ago. I was driving one direction (again, 5 in the morning), and suddenly this cop shows up, driving in the opposite direction. No radar or anything, then suddenly after we've already passed each other, my radar goes off. And I have a V1, so the arrows show that it's coming from behind me. In other words, the cop that passed me whipped his radar on. My immediate thought was 'a few seconds too late, bud'. Wrong. He had radar that was pointing out his back window, and actually got my speed. A mile down the road and blue lights show up behind me. He had my speed EXACTLY. He let me off with a warning because I didn't BS him, which was nice. But I am still freaked out that cops in my area can do that. I mean, we were doing in opposite directions, and he zapped me backwards!!! Um, yeah, I'd have to agree with your statement about radar technology coming a long way! A little too long a ways, IMO! :rofl2:

Front/back radar has been around for years. I remember when Texas state troopers got them, definitely made sitting in the middle of interstates interesting for them on picking off speeders. I know radar has a moment where it must calculate itself to a zero point so as to determine the speed of the cop v. you, but I am unsure of that amount of time.

Guess what we need now is radar deflectors, we can jam lasers but we need something which can absorb or rebound K or Ka in a different direction.