Thaddeus

Hey,

Just bought an Escort 8500 X50. Sweet little box, and it's already told me of radar that I wouldn't have thought was there. I am puzzling over how best to mount it so it isn't conspicuous. I have it stuck to the windshield above the rearview mirror, so the box itself is fairly unobtrusive, but the cord dangles down in an irritating way. How do other folks mount their detectors for "professional results" and how do you tap into the power without creating issues?

Advise appreciated...

bigs

Thaddeus -

From a performance standpoint, it is indeed best to mount your detector as high as possible. That'll help you pick up radar more quickly if the source is on the other side of a rise or crest in the road. Admittedly, you end up with the dangling cord blues. In the past I solved that problem with a battery powered "Solo" detector. I currently have a detector with a cord. I just mount it with suction cups on the glass a little above the level of the wiper blades so they don't obstruct it. I haven't had any issues with power - I just have it plugged into the cigarette lighter.

Mark

There is a wired remote that u can get for the Passport. I mount mine with the clip to my visor...run the wires across and down the A-pillar

Check the escort site. https://www.escortradar.com/cp/cgi-b...pg=prod&ref=78

dr bob

I've found that the radar function is more than adequate with the detector mounted low. Mine sits close to the dash top, looking out --under-- the parked wiper blades. I suspect that the radar waves are traveling in a laminar flow pattern up the hood to the feedhorn...

Doesn't do much good with laser I suspect, where having it up with a clear view might make a difference. Although it's said that the laser dudes are aiming for the headlights for a good reflection, so maybe the lower, less conspicuous mounting spot isn't a penalty for that.

Power for mine taps off the feed to the radio, so the detector powers on and off with the key. The cable runs next to the gauge pod. I have a dash cover (soft...) to protect it from sunlight, and the power cable hides nicely under that cover between the front (front is front of car...) of the pod and the detector.

I'm not thrilled by the idea of having the detector up high where it's visible to any following black-and-white, and the power lead dangling down is unsightly at best, a giveaway that you have a detector. I also feel that it's a cranial magnet in any kind of accident. It's just south of the 'fire extinguisher on the A- or B-pillar', right about head height and held on with suction cups or sheet metal screws, as far as the stupid factor goes. Just my two scents on that...

The ideal install would have separate fore-and-aft feedhorns on a V-1, mounted in modified center brakelight housings up against the ceiling in the car. Maybe someday I'll call Mike V. and see if he'll let me be a test bed for something like that...


Good luck!

PorKen

I was really close to buying an X50 with a ZR3 companion laser jammer. (Instead, I bought a SRX off eBay, and, if I didn't get ripped off, it should be here next week...)

I was considering mounting the X50, in a 'power bulge' on top of my acrylic sunroof panel. (I may still do that with the SRX's remote radar box.) I was going to use a mirror to reflect the display into the rear view mirror.

Tommy928

To get the best performance mount it as low as possible but high enough so that it can "see" through the rear window for rear detection also. For me I mounted mine about 4" up from the dash - seem to work well so far. Remember radar goes through glass but not metal.

Old & New

You can always tap into the power which feeds the forward headliner lamp.

SharkSkin

I mount mine above the mirror. The V1 comes with a power converter (maybe it's just a housing with connectors ) that I have sitting in my fuse panel area.

The power cable I ran starting from the top. I removed the center visor clips and the right visor, plus the one screw near the A-pillar. I was able to pull down the front edge of the headliner and tuck the wire in above it. The A-pillar has a void down its length. On my car at least, I was able to squeeze the thin wire between the door frame and the A-pillar cover and push it in until it popped into the void. The wire was flat phone cable, YMMV. From there I dropped it behind the dash and into the fuse panel area.

The wire to the remote display is routed from the fuse panel along the firewall then up the steering column, and the display sits right in front of my gauge cluster, and doesn't block anything.

I get my power from an otherwise unused fuse position on my panel. I simply loosened the panel, rocked it forward, and slipped a female spade connector on the correct terminal on the backside of the panel, slipped in a 5A fuse, and voila... instant dedicated circuit. I actually had 3 unused fuse positions: one with 12V always, one hot with key in Acc position, and one hot with ignition on. I chose the latter.

HTH

Always fly low to stay under radar...

Airflite40

Hey Dave, that sounds like a nice setup. How come you don't have a page up on your site about it?

Ron_H

Here it is on my car and Dave's is similar. I simply ran my power slightly differently than he did. He explained his to me and I walked off scratching my head confused. Must have been the veggie burger I ate for lunch. But both ways work. Now please, no wise cracks from Nicole about my shabby wheel stiching, because I have since re-stiched it. And don't ask what the red light next to the remote is. I don't have any idea what it is intended to do (unless you sign a declaration that you are not a Smokey Bear).

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/v1_mount_copy1.jpg


-
In my car, my power wire hangs down to the right of the mirror when the detector is not in use and removed from the windshield. It doesn't bother me there as it is out of my field of vision. (Usually, I am so wide eyed trying to focus far enough ahead of my car because my right foot has spasms which slam the pedal to the metal and leave it there, so I don't notice the wire or much else except the constant chirping of the V-1. It annoys me so much sometimes especially when those black and white cars are around.) When I use the V-1 the unit actually hides the wire. Be prepared for a MESS if you try to hide the wire under the headliner, because someone put a bunch of sticky black crap in there that gets stuck all over your hands, the car, the windshield and your clothes. But it cleans up nicely with what ever you're drinking that day. (Dave drinks denatured alcohol and says it works real fine. Personally I find it a bit too strong for my tastes. But I do keep a small bottle of the stuff in the car to clean the windshield and the suction cups when they won't stick...meaning most of the time. Kinda smarts when I open the bottle while driving and pour some on a paper towel to wipe on the windshield and the fumes fill the car. Now Dave probably likes that, but I don't and start weaving all over the place.) Happy detecting.

SharkSkin

I will probably take some pics next time I'm near the car with the camera, and tack them on the end of one of my existing pages. I didn't because I was in a rush, what with getting myself geared up for Sharktoberfest. Really, there's not much to see though.

My car must have been built before the big volume discounts for that sticky black junk that Ron referred to kicked in... I really didn't encounter any of the stuff while working on this. When the V1 is put away, the wire tucks in where the visor meets the clip at the headliner, so it's all but invisible.

And Ron, I don't drink denatured alcohol... I prefer benzene or toluene with a kerosene chaser. Sorta evens out the octane. That denatured alcohol will make you go blind faster than that other thing momma warned you about. Really, you should stop using your V1 as an excuse to carry that stuff around, admit you have a problem, and try to kick the habit. I know you started on the gateway drug, Sterno, and just needed something with more kick.... It didn't help that you spent so much time in that small closed-up room spraying that lacquer-based fixative on your architectural drawings. Or that's where you said you were spraying it; I began to worry when you began to use more than one spray can per drawing. Seriously, I'm worried about ya man... you should really try to not imbibe in anything stronger than nail polish remover before 5pm.... jeez, before noon even...

Thaddeus

Thanks for the advice on mounting the detector. The advise on drinking... I'll take a pass on that.

RJames

A little off topic - a little on topic-

Any advice on a professionally installed detector? Mine currently has an older model installed (came with it). It needs to be upgraded as it does not detect Laser.

It may be too expensive an ordeal. Any ideas or thoughts are appreciated.

Richard

Ron_H

Thaddeus

Oh, BTW, I wound up with the 8500 that has the blue LED's, which lists for 40 bucks more than the red. ?? . Anyways, I wnet into this place and asked for red. Salesman said: we're out, why do you want that one? To save a few bucks? I said yup. he said: I'll give you the blue for 6 dollars more than the red. I said: OK.

Word on the street: You can dicker on the price of the blue one.