Escort Passport 8500 User manual

The Truth about Speed Enforcement
How radar and laser guns measure your speed • Why they make mistakes
How they are used unfairly • How to protect yourself
e secret they don’t want you to know: When traffic radar shows a speed reading, it does not indicate which vehicle is being clocked.
Radar
How traffic radar works
Traffic radar units send out a wide
radar beam that’s similar to an invisible
spotlight. e radar beam widens as it
travels, and measures several hundred
feet wide at a distance of one-half mile. So
a traffic radar unit simultaneously “sees”
virtually all cars in sight. e radar beam
hits oncoming cars, and is reflected back
to the radar unit, which can calculate
speeds from those reflections.
Radar can be used from a police car
that’s either stationary or moving, since
it does not require precise aiming to
clock traffic speeds. ere are also hand-
held units that can be operated from a
car, motorcycle, or an officer standing at
the side of the road.
How far away can radar clock you?
Radar range depends on the size and
shape of the vehicle. Radar can track a
large truck from over one mile away, even
too far to be seen by eye. But some sports
cars bounce back such a weak signal that
they must be within 500 feet to be clocked.
If all vehicles were identical, the
strongest reflection would be from the
closest car. But different vehicles reflect
different amounts of the radar signal.
Radar’s most common error:
mistaken identity
Because of this inherent flaw of
traffic radar, an officer could be
looking at your car while his radar
unit is actually clocking the
speed of a large truck far down
the road—perhaps even out of
sight. And since his radar doesn’t
tell him which vehicle it is reading,
the police officer might mistakenly
think that you are responsible for the
speed displayed. And give a ticket to
you instead of the truck driver.
More than a dozen technical
errors for traffic radar have also
been documented, but mistaken identity
(technically called a “target identification
error”) is by far the most common.
The bottom line
Tickets can be given anywhere, for
any reason, at any time.
How radar makes mistakes
Although traffic radar receives
reflected signals from all cars within
range, it has no way to display all the
different speeds, and no way to even
decide which car is traveling which
speed. In fact, traffic radar displays only
a single number, usually the speed of the
strongest reflected signal.
Radar speed readings caused by distant trucks
are a common source of undeserved tickets.
Since radar does not require precise aiming,
it is even used by unmanned speed trailers.
For a free printed copy of this report, call toll free 1-888-8 ESCORT

One town in West Virginia with a population of
only 3,200 issued more than 18,000 tickets in a
single year, booking almost $4 million in revenue
Laser
Radar and Laser: Fair or unfair?
How laser works
Laser works very differently from
radar. e laser gun sends out a beam of
laser light that is so narrow and precise
it must be aimed with an optical sight,
like those used by sharpshooters. e
operator looks through the sight, aims
Laser guns are aimed with a sight, like a rifle.
Why radar and laser are used:
it’s not always about safety
When a driver is blatantly ignoring
safe driving techniques (i.e., speeding
through school zones or weaving in
and out of traffic) police are rightfully
enforcing traffic safety laws. But more
oen than not, traffic radar is not about
safety. It’s about revenue.
at a specific vehicle, and pulls the trigger,
sending out a beam of light. When
this beam is reflected back to the laser
unit, the unit provides a speed reading.
Because of the narrow beams, laser
units are hand-held, and can only be
used from a stationary position.
Common laser errors
Both human error and the nature of
laser light contribute to errors. For
example, laser can only be used at a
distance of a thousand feet. is does
not give much time for aiming or vehicle
identification. Environmental and usage
conditions also affect laser. Rain, fog,
and snow can lead to false readings, as
can reflections of laser light from
highway structures and other vehicles.
As with any complex electronic
device, there can be technical
malfunctions and miscalibrations. It’s
even possible for the optical sight to be
misaligned, so the operator aims at one
vehicle, and clocks another.
Laser is inherently more difficult
to use and sensitive to environmental
conditions. In fact, because of
inaccuracies, some jurisdictions have
refused to give laser judicial notice,
which is required before a device is
authorized to be used for measuring
speed by law enforcement agencies.
e fact is, radar and laser speed
measurement are used to make it easier
to give traffic tickets. ey are oen set
up in areas where there are no safety
or traffic problems, simply high traffic
volume. Many times they are set up to
monitor the speed of every vehicle that
passes.
And enforcement is oen highly
selective, with almost all vehicles
exceeding an oen unreasonably-low
posted speed limit, but only a few
vehicles stopped.
Safety, or revenue?
Many times, speed enforcement
is motivated by revenue, not safety.
e virtually perfect conviction rate
of radar and laser clocked tickets has
balanced more than one town’s budget.
One town in West Virginia with a
population of only 3,200 issued more
than 18,000 tickets in a single year,
booking almost $4 million in revenue.
The high cost to the motorist
e cost of a single ticket can add
up to thousands of dollars. e fine
itself can range from $200 to $400 or
more, with insurance increases that
can add as much as $1,000 to $1,500 in
additional premiums. Many people pay
traffic fines out of convenience, never
realizing that insurance companies
treat payment of fines as a reason to
increase your premiums, regardless of
whether you were guilty or not.

How to protect yourself with a radar and laser detector
Types of radar and laser detectors
Fortunately, there is help. Modern
radar and laser detectors are effective
tools to defend against unfair tickets.
Today’s radar detectors are high-
performance, high-technology devices.
In the last decade, advances in
microcircuitry, signal processing and
chip design have led to the design of
premium radar detectors which virtually
eliminate false alarms and provide
longer range warning of radar and laser
with great accuracy.
How a radar detector works
A radar detector is simply a receiver
tuned to detect the presence of the radar
and laser frequencies used by traffic
monitors. When it picks up one of these
signals, the detector warns you. ere
are three different radar bands approved
by the FCC in use by traffic monitoring
units: X, K, and Ka band.
How detectors provide
advanced warning
Can a radar detector find police radar
before it finds you? e answer is yes.
Suppose you’re heading right into the
beam of a radar trap. To measure your
speed, the radar beam has to hit you
and be reflected back to the radar unit,
returning with enough strength to be
sensed by the calculating circuitry.
Your radar detector, however, has a
job that’s considerably easier, since the
signal only has to travel one way to reach
you. As a result, you’ll be able to detect
radar before it can detect you.
Radar can’t work around curves.
But radar detectors can.
A radar beam acts like the beam
from a flashlight on a foggy night. e
person holding the flashlight can’t see
you until the beam makes a direct hit.
But you can see the beam through the
fog-as it reflects off moisture and dust in
the air—long before it falls on you.
In much the same way, police radar
can’t “see” you over a hill or around a
corner, because there’s no way for the
beam to hit your car and bounce back.
But your radar detector can pick up
reflections from the microwave beam
well before it hits you directly. You can
“see” it before it “sees” you.
“Instant-on” radar and laser
One technique can be hard to defend
against, the so-called “Instant- on.” Here,
the radar or laser unit is in a stand-by
mode until a vehicle approaches. It is not
emitting a beam–so your detector can’t
find it. en, when you are within range,
the operator switches the unit on and it
calculates your speed within one second.
A good radar detector protects you
by warning you when the operator “zaps”
one of the cars up ahead. e detector
has to be sensitive enough to pick up
these brief, weak signals. And reliable
enough so you don’t interpret them as
random false alarms and ignore them.
Photo radar
Approximately 200 short-range
stationary photo radar units are in use
around the country. Fortunately, a good
radar detector can provide advanced
warning of these new systems.
Escort Passport 8500 radar and laser detector. Escort Solo S2 cordless radar and laser detector. Passport SRX custom-installed radar-laser detector.
Conventional, Windshield-mounted
Most radar detectors are portable,
and mount in seconds to your car’s
windshield with a suction cup mount. A
power cord plugs into your car’s lighter
socket to provide power for the unit.
Cordless, Windshield-mounted
Cordless detectors are powered by
batteries instead of a car cord, and are
a great choice for drivers who move
the detector from car to car, and for
business travelers.
Custom-installed
A custom-installed radar and laser
detector is a multi-piece system that can
be mounted in your car’s dashboard. It
is discreet, remarkably effective and
very easy to use.
X-band K-band
Ka-band Laser

For more information or to order your ESCORT radar
and laser detector, call us toll-free at 1-888-8 ESCORT
How to select a radar and laser detector
Radar and laser detector users and legality
When choosing a radar detector,
you should focus on . . .
• High Sensitivity: A good detector
is very “sensitive.” is means the unit is
able to pick up weak and distant signals.
• Excellent Selectivity: A good
detector is also very “selective.” is
means that the unit has the ability to pick
out the right signals and reject the rest.
• Superior Alert System: A good
detector has warning systems that are
easy to use and easy to understand.
• Full Coverage of Radar and Laser:
A good detector covers laser plus all three
radar bands (X, K, and Ka), detecting
conventional as well as “instant-on” and
“POP” signals.
• Quality and ease of use: A good
detector has high-quality construction
with a clearly visible display, intuitive
controls, and durable mounts and cords.
Beware of false and misleading
claims and advertising
Inexpensive detectors use design
shortcuts to meet lower price points,
but at a high cost to the user. Inferior
performance and frequent false alarms
make these radar detectors ineffective
and distracting.
Some makers of low-end detectors make
deceptive and misleading claims about
features and performance. You’ll see:
• Misleading claims of 9-band, 10-
band, or 11 band coverage. Only three
FCC-approved radar bands are in use.
• Offers of reimbursing speeding
fines. If you read the fine print, you’ll
see the exclusions and limitations that
make these virtually useless.
How to choose the right
radar detector
Before purchasing any radar detector,
do your homework. Independent tests
compare radar detectors, including auto
enthusiast magazines such as Motor
Trend and AutoWeek, and websites such
as RadarTest.com and SpeedZones.com
Escort radar and laser detectors stand
out in performance, reliability, accuracy,
design, and value.
“The Passport 8500 might be the
best radar detector ever made.”
Forbes.com
“One unit emerged as the staff’s
favorite: Escort’s Solo S2.”
AutoWeek Magazine
“The Passport SRX is the most
advanced remote radar detector
available, offering unequalled
features and performance.”
SpeedZones.com
Get the facts
Who uses radar detectors?
Radar detectors are used by millions
of motorists. Far from being dangerous
drivers, a national research study found
that detector users were safer than other
drivers, driving on average an additional
five years between accidents.
And although you may associate the
use of a radar detector with highway
driving, in fact most tickets are given
on secondary roads, and most veteran
detector users never drive without one.
Different drivers, same protection
No matter what kind of driver you are,
no matter where you drive, there is a
premium detector that is right for you:
Are radar detectors legal?
Yes! Radar and laser detectors
are legal in non-commercial vehicles
in 49 states (all except Virginia and
Washington D.C.).
You have the right to use a radar
and laser detector. In fact, in a ruling
defending the right of motorists to
use radar detectors, a Superior Court
judge wrote, “If government seeks to
use clandestine and furtive methods to
monitor citizen actions, it can ill afford
to complain should the citizen insist on
a method to effect his right to know he is
under such surveillance.”
In other words, if the government is
going to monitor you with radar, you
have the right to use a radar detector to
know when they are monitoring you.
• e Car Enthusiast chooses the
ultra-performance Escort Passport
8500 X50 for his sedan, and the custom-
installed Passport SRX for his sports car.
• e Soccer Mom keeps her Escort
Passport Solo S2 in her SUV. It provides
peace of mind when she is transporting
the kids on secondary roads where
speed limits oen change frequently.
• e Commuter uses his Escort
Passport 8500 X50 every day, knowing
that speed traps can appear on back
roads as well as on the freeway.
• e Business Traveler carries his
cordless Escort Solo S2 in his briefcase, to
protect him from different speed limits
and enforcement used by different cities.
www.EscortRadar.com
©2005 Escort Inc. 40-000021-01, 11/05  Department TR901