Installed "****** 9500ci Passport Ultimate Radar - Laser Defense System" on my Raptor

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BOJANGLES

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Sorry for the lackluster cell phone pics, but they'll get the job done.

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Recently I installed this system on my Raptor. What I like about it is that the protection is top of the line and all the components are extremely hidden and stealthy. No Radar box stuck on the windshield, no wires across my dash, and the tiny display screen and controller have been professionally wired and installed, they're barely even noticeable.

I had the Controller Module installed behind the left side of the steering wheel, somewhat near the headlight controls:

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and I had the Display Module installed in the open port towards the passenger side of the dash:

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....Everything else is pretty much totally hidden.
There is an Interface, a GPS Module, a tiny amplified Speaker, a Front Radar Receiver, 2 Front Laser Receiver/Shifters, and a Rear Laser Receiver/Shifter.
You can see little images of them towards the right side of this picture:

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All the Receivers for the front are hidden behind the grille and the Shifters under my lower Rigid 40" lightbar, the rear Receiver/Shifter is mounted on the license plate bracket. Everything is very discreet.

This system offers coverage on many bandwidths:
-X Band Coverage
-K Band Coverage
-KA Band Coverage
-Laser Coverage (I added the Laser Shifters which were an option at extra cost.

To quote the box it came in:

The Box It Came In: said:
"Our all-new laser "Shifters" provide 360 degree protection, including the latest "double-pulse" laser guns. Multiple sensors positioned front and rear can be programmed to "Shift" for maximum protection. ("Shifting" may not be legal in your area. Check local laws before activating.) All North American radar bands are covered, including "POP" radar.

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There are 3 sensitivity controls:
-Auto (Automatically uses system's ability to provide 360 degrees of coverage for all bandwidths)
-AutoNoX (Automatically uses system's ability to provide 360 degrees of coverage for all bandwidths except for X band which is used on much older radar guns and often storefronts)
-Highway (Changes Receivers/Shifters so that they do not focus as much on 360 degree coverage. Instead they focus their power WAY WAY down the road in front of you. If there is a cop using radar/laser ahead of you, you're gonna know about it a LONG way before you get there.)

You may have noticed from the Display Module picture above that I usually have it on AutoNoX. I found out that the authorities in my city do not use X Band radar. Using AutoNoX means I won't pick up any unnecessary X Band beeping.
If I'm taking a road trip or driving to another city on the interstate, I flip over to Highway Mode which re-activates my X Band for those tiny little highway towns using dated technology.

The GPS System is one of the coolest features of this product.

To quote the box it came in:

The Box It Came In: said:
Our new Adaptive Signal Processing system uses GPS technology to automatically "learn" (by exact location and frequency) each radar signal and determine if its a real threat or not. This data is updated realtime during your drive, and provides the most accurate alert system possible

This feature is just awesome. The way it works is that the realtime GPS records every signal that hits your vehicle, if it receives the same exact signal in the same exact location 3 times, it stores that location in its system as a Non-Threat.

To use 2 examples from my daily driving: There is a Walgreen's just outside of my neighborhood where the automatic doors trip everyone else's radar detectors... and a 30 mph Speed Limit sign nearby that shoots radar and displays it on a screen so driver's are alerted of their speed. Since I pass these places almost every day, my system recorded them as Non-Threats, so my Display Module and Amplified Speaker don't alert me anymore when I pass those places unless there is a new/additional radar or laser signal in that area.

Furthermore, the GPS system comes loaded with locations all over the nation that have red-light cameras. The ****** gives you a quick double-beep when you're approaching an intersection that has an operational red light cam, then the display reads "REDLIGHT". If you happen to come across an intersection that has a new red light cam that isn't preloaded, you just hit the "Mark Location" feature and it is forever stored in your system. Its nice to know where the cameras are when you have a yellow light and you're not quite sure whether to hit the gas or brake.

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There are all kinds of other features to this system, the other day I was driving and it started making a noise I'd never heard from it before... when I looked down at the display it was flashing "SPD TRAP" ...sure enough a while later down the road I noticed two cop cars discreetly parked on each side of the street.
Whenever the system gets a hit, it alerts you as to which bandwidth it is, the signal strength, which grows and diminishes accurately as you get closer-to/further-from the cop, is shown visually on a meter and is given audibly by the tempo of beeps. The little screen will also display your current speed.
Over 60 different specific safety messages warn of hazards in the area using SWS technology.

The system also has voice alerts, but I turned those off.... If I have the SYNC lady-voice and the ******/Passport lady-voice yappin' at me at the same time, I'm liable to pull over and start drinking!


Anyhow, that's the lowdown. I'm definitely very pleased with this system, absolutely zero buyer's remorse, and I'm pretty sure its already saved me from a few tickets.

The only thing I can think of that I might do differently if I had to do it again: I would mount the Controller Module higher up on the same panel so it would be a bit easier to see when sitting in the driver seat. The way mine is mounted the steering wheel obstructs the buttons unless I crane my neck a bit.

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If anyone has any questions about it, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.

*****EDIT: Pics of my Laser Shifters, Radar Receiver, and GPS Module installed can be found in Post #44 (Page 5) of this thread.*****
 

IRONMAN

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Nice write up Bo. This is a nice system and I may just have to get one.
What would be the price range for one of these?
 
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BOJANGLES

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Nice write up Bo. This is a nice system and I may just have to get one.
What would be the price range for one of these?

Well Iron, unfortunately, the good shit ain't cheap.

I got mine and all my security stuff installed at the same time, and the owner of the shop gave me a few hundred bucks off, so I couldn't remember what I paid for just the radar portion of that purchase. I went looking for the receipt, but I can't seem to find it at the moment.

I just looked on eBay, and I'm seeing new 9500ci systems in the box selling for about $1,099 - $1,500 depending on options. I also noticed some used ones in the $900 range.

****** 9500ci items - Get great deals on Electronics, eBay Motors items on eBay.com!

Although the system was pricey, given my traffic ticket history and heavy right foot I have a feeling this thing could actually pay for itself by the time all is said and done.
 

BIRDMAN

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Nice work and write up Bo! it will probably save you that money in tickets over the years :)
 
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BOJANGLES

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For those of you not as familiar with Laser Shifting (also referred to as Laser Jamming) here is a 2007 article from a website called thetruthaboutcars.com that I think sums up their function pretty well:

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****** Laser Shifter ZR3 Review
By Michael Posner
on December 5, 2007

It’s a never-ending battle between speeders and the police. Since the e-wars began, the police have moved from simple X-Band radar-based speed detectors to sophisticated KA-band radar guns, radar detector detectors (no really) and laser speed detection devices (with charming names like Stalker LZ-1). While the best consumer radar detectors can sniff out X and KA-band signals from a long way off—before the signal can bounce back to Officer Not So Friendly—if your laser beam detector goes off, tag, you’re it. If you’re speeding (which you probably do as you’re reading a laser jammer review), you’ve been nabbed.

FYI, police speed detection lasers or LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) fires light pulses at an object at about 984 million feet per second or roughly 1 foot per nanosecond. The pulses bounce off the (theoretically) offending vehicle and return to the laser device. Its optical sensors receive the returning photons or waves (let’s not get into THAT debate), compares outgoing and returning light (in about a third of a second) and calculates the object’s speed.

“Normal” radar guns send out a relatively wide beam of radio waves and use Christian Doppler’s observed effect to ascertain the fastest vehicle within that beam. Laser guns are far more accurate; at a thousand feet, the laser “cone” is roughly 3 feet in diameter.

Luckily (for you), laser guns have drawbacks. First, they’re a fair weather device; laser beams abhor a rainstorm. Second, unlike KA-Band radar, a laser gun must be stationary and aimed directly at the [theoretical] speeder. This eliminates in-car mobile use. On the positive side (for them), laser is ideal for roadside speed detection. The tickets practically write themselves.

Other than buying a low-slung black car and covering it with high tech non-reflective materials, there’s only way to defeat a laser speed detector: active jamming. We’re talking about a device that reacts to a police laser beam by sending out its own laser beam, shifting the spectrum of the returning light, rendering it unrecognizable to the laser gun’s optical sensors. Yes, it’s a high tech shoot-out at the photon coral.

A quick note about legality . . .

The Federal Communications Commission prohibits civilian use of police frequencies; sending out a signal on these frequencies to mess with a police radar gun is a HUGE no-no. Banning civilians from using a part of God’s own light spectrum is a lot more problematic. That said, the Food and Drug Administration regulates laser devices—from a personal safety rather than a road safety perspective. Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC are the only states/district that bans the use of radar detectors AND laser jammers for “interfering with police business.”

I tested the ****** Laser Shifter ZR3, an active laser jammer that can be used as a standalone solution or in conjunction with ******’s high end 8500 and 9500 radar/laser detectors. The Laser Shifter ZR3 comes complete with a comprehensive owner’s manual, installation instructions, two front laser transceivers, one rear laser transceiver, in-car display controller, remote mute button, 12-volt interface with modular connections, complete wiring harnesses, mounting hardware and a link cable for connecting to the Passport 8500, 7500S and SR7, and the Solo2.

The kit requires lots of wiring and drilling; professional installation is a must. The test car spent the entire day at a local installer, who hid the front transceivers in the front grill, and the rear transceiver on the top of the license plate frame. The finished job cost $250.

I coupled the ****** ZR3 with an ****** 8500i and ran a few real world tests at known speed traps.

On each pass, the Passport 8500’s laser detector noted the laser presence and instantly activated the jammer. The confused look on the officer’s face as I drove by [probably] confirmed that the laser jammer [probably] prevented his laser gun from registering our speed, which may have been approximately 15mph over the 35mph limit.

The results lend credence to the video hosted on youtube. This test shows the ZR3’s jamming capability against a Prolaser II Police Lidar Gun, from the police perspective trials at radartest.com who found that the ****** ZR3 was nearly perfect—providing a 99% efficiency rating. The ZR3 an excellent investment to reduce exposure from laser based tickets. Coupled with an ****** radar detector, a user will have a one device system covering all potential radar detection systems.


****** Laser Shifter ZR3 Review | The Truth About Cars
 
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BOJANGLES

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If you read the yellow text above, then you know I may be the first one here who's frickin' Raptor now shoots frickin' laser beams from it's frickin' head!!!!!

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IRONMAN

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I've looked at blockers before and I really wouldn't mind doing it, but I go the canada
a lot and if I get caught there with a system like this my truck is gone.:hmm:
 
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BOJANGLES

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I've looked at blockers before and I really wouldn't mind doing it, but I go the canada
a lot and if I get caught there with a system like this my truck is gone.:hmm:

I'm pretty sure you can turn the laser shifters off easily....... gimme a few, I'm gonna look in the owner's manual....

EDIT: Here we go, just read in the manual that you can cycle through the different bands and turn them off individually.
Once you get to "LSR" (Laser), you have 3 choices: RECV, SHFT, or OFF.

....So when you're in Canada, if you set the system to RECV or OFF, your Laser Shifters should be disabled until you turn them back on.
 
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