Wow - sounds like your 8500 unit is a lemon. Mine has picked up well over a mile out on the highway. There are times where it will go off for so long that I think it HAS to be a false alarm and then a few minutes later I either see a cop hiding a few cars back or one comes by in the opposite lane. Really great unit. I looked at Valentines too - but knowing which direction the radar is coming from doesn't mean anything to me. Either way, I'm hitting the brakes and turning on the eagle eyes. A laser jammer would be something I would like to look into along with the 9500 w/gps.