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Old Passport -vs- New Passport

Steven J Bernstein Wrote:

<snip>
I have a 10-year-old Passport (the original), and I can't seem to part
with it. I've looked at the new units, and the only one I've found that =
is
worth buying <snip> is the Valentine One.
<snip>
I was leading a small caravan of 3 BMWs.  We were pretty tightly packed. =
 The second guy just bought a new Passport, and I fortunately received =
and reacted to a couple warnings prior to a cop hiding with instant-on.  =
He got *no*
warning.  Why should my old Passport work so much better than a newer
one??  Sorry, I forget his model # - maybe he'll see this post and
respond...  Could his mounting position (e36 on the dash) have been the
problem (I mount on the glass on my e28)?=20
<snip>

Steve:

The location of your detectors, as well as the slant of the glass, as =
well as the location in the pack will make a difference, HOWEVER:  In =
approx. 1985, Mike Valentine (who designed the original Escort in 1978 =
and the original Passport) left Cincinatti Microwave to form a new =
company to build a superior product.  Approx. Six years later, the =
Valentine One was ready for release.  IMHO, Cincinatti Microwave has =
turned into a MMO (Mass Merchandising Organization) heck, they even make =
phones now!  Mike Valentine on the other hand, is one cool dude.  =
Besides owning a BMW or two, Mike even makes it to the BMW CCA drivers =
schools in Ohio as an instructor.  His designs are simply an extension =
of himself, and "Mass Merchandise" products simply cannot be compared to =
his designs.

Additionally, when Mike was associated with CM, they had a policy that =
should your detector got stolen (like mine did in 1984), and you =
reported it to CM with your serial number (even if someone scratched it =
off, a duplicate number was hidden inside the unit), if that unit ever =
was sent into CM for repair (like mine was in 1986), they would send it =
directly back to you for a nominal $7.50, plus the repair cost, with an =
option to prosecute (I did not choose to) the person who sent it in to =
them.  Today, that service is history.

Hope this illuminates your experience,

Bryan
[email protected]
89 535i 5 Speed, 145,000 Miles