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Passport radar going crazy


subaruski

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the same thing is happening to my STI-R.

 

I think it is voltage related as I have noted the voltage spiking over 15V when I get on the throttle. Going to try a voltage stabilizer soon to see if it helps.

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Subarus are noisy engines. You have to contact Passport and tell them what is going on. You'll have to send your unit in to have it "de-sensitized". They'll add shielding around the senor inside the unit. You'll get rid of the false laser but will lose some sensitivity. I had this problem with my 9500iX. I had to ship them the unit and they repaired it.
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It's like jim1969 said - a lot of modern Subarus are just electrically (or otherwise) "noisy," and that's the most common cause of this issue.

 

Time for a Valentine?

 

This can happen for *any and all* detectors. Not just the Escort/Bel.

 

It could very well be that subaruski's particular Passport unit is just a bit more sensitive, and that's what's causing the issue - maybe a change to another detector, either same make/model, or not, could magically solve the issue, but that would be based on simple production variances, alone, and not because he switched.

 

 

------

 

 

subaruski, go to the www.RadarDetector.net discussion Forum, and search for the keyword "armscrafter1" - I've flagged that post enough times there that it should easily come up.

 

That post details some of the most common troubleshooting you can do, for this very problem.

 

When troubleshooting, start with the simplest measures, first:

 

(1) Put the detector in another car or two, and see if it's still misbehaving. If so, then it points the finger directly at the detector.

 

(2) Remove/cover/disable ancillary vehicle devices - many in-vehicle aftermarket (and even OEM) electronics can cause laser falses. For example, the nav/entertainment screens' "flicker rate" can, if it is just right, cause your laser alert to trip. And again, yes, this has even been reported of the Subaru OEM nav screen on the BL/BP (for both Escort/Bel products as well as for the V1).

 

(3) Do a hard-reset of your unit. Depending on model, this is accomplished in a couple of different ways, if you let me know which one you have, I may be able to help. Regardless, afterwards, reset your preferences, as they will return to default.

 

(4) Check wiring. With a hardwire, check your power and ground taps, as well as the entire length of the wiring - as a beginning, source your power from the 12V "plug-in" cord, and see if that doesn't solve the issue, thereby fingering your hardwire. Remember we've got two 12V accessory plugs, try both, for if you're sourcing your power from the ashtray/cigarette-lighter, that device itself may not be working properly, causing your issue/concern. Also check the wiring that you're tapping off of, as that may actually be problematic, not your hardwire or the hardwiring job.

 

(5) Use an in-line ferrite choke. This can be easily had from any RadioShack, and is inexpensive and easy to install - and for many, this really works wonders.

 

(6) Use another in-line suppression filter (see the advice about going to the RD.net Forums, and searching for armscrafter1's post).

 

(7) Check vehicle charging system.

 

I would only send in your unit to be "de-sensitized," as jim1969 mentioned, as a last resort, as the additional shielding required will cause a loss of sensitivity (approx. 30%, IIRC).

 

Unfortunately, some units are just, from the factory, more sensitive than others - and some of our cars are just noisier than others.

 

My detector's behavior, when compared to brother jim1969's, is a perfect example.

 

My 4307 date-of-manufacture Escort 9500i never had this problem. Jim's, unfortunately, did. He tried everything I suggested above to pinpoint a cause and to troubleshoot/resolve the problem, to no avail. He had to send his unit in, to have it "de-sensitized."

<-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges

'16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family

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i had this happen many moons ago on my civic, one time when i gave it a tune up i bought a new cap and rotor but i noticed the new rotor had no shielding... after that my radar went nuts when i went wot.

 

it was actually an audio shop that told me to get a rotor with the shielding and it would go away, i was skeptical but sure enough it went away...

 

dont if this helps but just thought id share...

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I have a V1, and its laser receiver is quite sensitive to all sorts of things. So that may not be a solution.

 

The laser receiver, of course, is tuned to the (light) frequencies of the lidar systems that law enforcement uses -- and this is in the infrared part of the spectrum, wavelengths just a bit longer than visible (deep red) light. The radar bands, on the other hand, are much longer wavelengths and therefore more susceptible to RFI sorts of interference. As TSI+ suggested, light sources in the cabin (reflecting off the windshield) are suspects in this laser misbehavior.

 

But this business of the throttle's setting it off is a bit weird. Am I correct in remembering that 05 was before drive-by-wire got adopted in these cars? Could it be the light reflecting off your teeth, from the huge smile the LGT acceleration gives you? :p HPH

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IAs TSI+ suggested, light sources in the cabin (reflecting off the windshield) are suspects in this laser misbehavior.

 

^ Not just reflecting off the windshield ;) - it may even be that, somehow, in another fashion, the detector's laser sensor gets just a peek of the light-source from something within the cabin, be it the factory nav-screen, a cell-phone screen, or even, heck, a decorative LED strobe.

 

And also, it's good that you brought up the spectre of RF-interference.

 

Indeed, while this may manifest as RADAR noise/falses, it can also "leak over" - it's just so unpredictable, that it might cause the detector to false full-out laser alerts.

 

Of course, that would be the most feared type of interference, as it's going to be a total clusterkiss to troubleshoot. :spin:

 

But this business of the throttle's setting it off is a bit weird. Am I correct in remembering that 05 was before drive-by-wire got adopted in these cars?

 

Nope, all the BL/BPs have had DBW.

 

It's not so much as the throttle is setting it off, per-se - rather, it's the fluctuations in electrical noise in the system that's, most likely, doing the trick.

 

But as we've discussed, there's a lot of other things too, and indeed, your joke of having the light glance of the OP's pearly whites isn't all that out there, either - and really can be possible! :eek:;):)

<-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges

'16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family

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...and because it's an infrared laser receiver, I suppose the thermal radiation from his hot and heavy breathing could be the culprit, too. ;)

 

But you're right: if there's some kind of cross-modulation from stray RF noise, it's probably hopeless. You can hardly wrap the thing in aluminum foil (although that might be an interesting experiment, to see if the shielding stops the problem -- along with all radar/laser detection, of course).

 

Another suggestion, related to #4 in the previous list, would be to move the detector around within the car, to see if its location is an issue, or if it happens no matter where it's sitting. HPH

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I saw the problem when I gave throttle to an escort detector the fix was the following as stated above:

 

(5) Use an in-line ferrite choke. This can be easily had from any RadioShack, and is inexpensive and easy to install - and for many, this really works wonders.

 

It was a square that can open up and you can wrap the wire around. Had no issues. It was the laser part that would go off.

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...and because it's an infrared laser receiver, I suppose the thermal radiation from his hot and heavy breathing could be the culprit, too. ;)

 

:lol::lol:

 

I definitely will own-up to that, remembering when my car first "went 'Stage II,'" as well as every time I come back to her after a longish stint in the wifey's stock (4EAT, as the double-bogey) '05 WRX.

 

But you're right: if there's some kind of cross-modulation from stray RF noise, it's probably hopeless. You can hardly wrap the thing in aluminum foil (although that might be an interesting experiment, to see if the shielding stops the problem -- along with all radar/laser detection, of course).

 

+1. That's indeed the nightmare scenario.

 

That kind of stuff present as an occasional (thankfully!) mystery on speed-detections countermeasures Forums/communities, every once in a blue moon.

 

The last that was most puzzling was a spat of V1s going off on K/Ka-band, low-level falsing, from various BMW convertibles, most-notably the M6.

 

I honestly can't remember if anyone in the community (or from outside) ever was able to trace down that particular problem.

 

Go figure. :spin:

<-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges

'16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family

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I have a V1 ( from 1998) the thing goes nuts in laser occaisonally...I know what you're talking about....makes no sense....not much laser around here.

 

New Infinities set it off.

^ n00bs below this line
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Various tail-lights (and the odd brake light) set off my V1 laser signal. Quite annoying.

 

But here's an inverse question, off topic specifically, but related to detector performance.

 

I've driven by any number of those radar warning trailers (the ones with big signs showing your speed, and flashing if you're over the limit) and got no signal at all. (Not all trailers do this, just some of them.)

 

How do they measure speed? Some weird band? Acoustic? HPH

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New Infinities set it off.

 

^ Like DrCloud said above, as well as is-cited by Mike Valentine on the V1 commercial website, there's a multitude of such causes of laser false-positives, that's not related to a potentially "noisy" vehicle charging system or random noise.

 

- various laser-based active/passive safety and cruise-control systems

- "rain sensing wiper" systems

- various LED/"neon" based CHMSL and/or emergency vehicles' LED strobes

- cell-phone display screen

- display screen of OEM or aftermarket nav/entertainment systems

- various IR-based remote controls for vehicle electronics

- bright sunlight (or other bright ambient light source, such as HIDs)

- active laser jammers on other vehicle (while responding to a police LIDAR attack)

 

But here's an inverse question, off topic specifically, but related to detector performance.

 

I've driven by any number of those radar warning trailers (the ones with big signs showing your speed, and flashing if you're over the limit) and got no signal at all. (Not all trailers do this, just some of them.)

 

How do they measure speed? Some weird band? Acoustic? HPH

 

^ Some are low-powered (with what's a very, very narrow "beam width," to-boot), some are I/O, some are simply out-of-tune/spec (since they're not used for enforcement purposes, they can be that way).

 

Depending on the specific scenario and hardware, you could indeed be "on top of it" before you get a warning. That's not uncommon.

 

You *should* still get warnings, though, particularly if you're the only vehicle being measured, or have vehicles in-front/rear which are taking the hit for you.

 

When was the last checkup on your V1?

 

Also, I am, sadly, not familiar enough with ENRADD to know whether or not if that technology can also be employed in this type of scenario. That may be something worth checking out, if you live in an ENRADD-use area.

 

---

 

Various stationary speed-on-green/red-light cameras, though, may employ strategies that defy RADAR/LIDAR detectors (not equipped with GPS-enabled technologies to "mark" these locations), by utilizing items such as ground-induction loops, etc.

<-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges

'16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family

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^ That's definitely one way of looking at it. :)

 

It's certainly why many of us who live in heavy LIDAR-enforcement areas choose to go with dedicated active and/or passive countermeasures against such, and relegate the detector to a more "secondary" role.

 

Although it is also my opinion/view that a "low-mounted" detector is only good for detecting "true hits," I've also witnessed, myself, many times, that a high-mounted detector - even a less-than-uber-laser-sensitive (i.e. not V1 :lol:) unit - has managed to pick up "up-road" police LIDAR usage, via scatter/reflections/"seeing 'over-the-crest' or 'through-another-car.'"

 

In my philosophy, "not being there to take the shot" is something that I'd choose, any day, to pressing my luck with my active jammers and passive coating. ;) As such, the detector, IMveryHO, is a big part of this equation, as the advance warning is always, always appreciated.

 

Also, police LIDAR isn't as instantaneous as the enforcers like the mass public to think.

 

Nominal lock is "a third of a second" or so, but in real-world situations, this can extend to, literally, a second or even much, much longer. Just from the hobbyist/enthusiast videos out there (and don't say that these guys don't know how to properly shoot LIDAR - many of these guys know more about LIDAR operation than the best-trained enforcement personnel; think of this as being akin to going to your local dealership and asking a random tech about something on your Legacy, versus asking questions of the hobbyist experts here; oh, and yes, this is with current-generation, state-of-the-art enforcement devices, fully certified/maintained), you can well see that, randomly, some cars will take a second, two, three - or even totally fail to lock at all - despite being "painted," all-over, by the operator.

 

"Out-braking" LIDAR is not impossible, and with the use of a good detector, with a bit of luck, you increase your chances even further.

<-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges

'16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family

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I had my V1 upgraded within the last year or so, but there have been cases in which is just doesn't go off. Now, those have been "city limits" warning units -- and maybe they do indeed have ground induction loops, as the units seem permanent. I'll sooth my worries with that thought.

 

And lidar detectors can also pick up scattered laser light (they see the wavelength, not the coherence). I've had a number of early warnings from this. If you get shot, you're generally toast. But if you're in traffic and someone else (especially ahead of you) does, you may get some warning from the laser light that's scattered your way. Count your blessings. HPH

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  • 6 years later...

Yes - Bumping an old thread but I just thought of searching for similar issues when I noticed my 9500ix keeps alerting for Laser when the LCD display is turned on. Its 100% of the time during the morning commute but for some reason when leaving for work its absolutely quiet. Weird.

 

I wonder if anyone has tried putting some barrier between the LCD monitor and the dash to reduce false positives.

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