SOLO CORDLESS RADAR/LASER DETECTOR Check Quick Reference Guide inside cover ! ® mute O W N E R ' S dim city M l pwr/vo A N U A L MODEL RD-5110 ®
CONGRATULATIONS! SOLO is the result of ESCORT’s commitment to design and manufacture the best radar and laser detection products available. Created for drivers who desire the ultimate in mobility, SOLO’s cordless design eliminates the need for a power cord, recharger, or add-on battery pack. Simply mount SOLO on your windshield and turn it on.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Installing SOLO's Batteries ..........................................................1 Battery Life Indication ..............................................................1,7 Low Battery Warning ...............................................................2,7 AutoOff.......................................................................................2 Mounting SOLO..........................................................................3 Controls and Indicators Power On ...........
IMPORTANT BATTERY INFORMATION SOLO is designed to operate on two standard AA alkaline batteries. AA lithium batteries and AA alkaline rechargeable batteries may also be used, however the resulting battery life will vary. We do not recommend using NiCad rechargeable batteries. Installing SOLO’s Batteries 1 Make sure SOLO is turned off. 2 Turn SOLO upside down. Depress the 3 4 5 6 battery door and sliding in the direction of the arrow, remove door from the battery compartment.
IMPORTANT BATTERY INFORMATION battery contacts from shorting against metal objects. • Never mix old and new batteries in SOLO or any device. • Since batteries last longest if used at room temperature, use SOLO at room temperature whenever possible. • Turn off SOLO when not in use. AutoOff SOLO has a special automatic shut-off feature to conserve battery life in case you forget to turn SOLO off. (Please refer to page 4 for an explanation of the AutoOff circuit.
MOUNTING SOLO WARNING ESCORT CANNOT ANTICIPATE THE MANY WAYS SOLO CAN BE MOUNTED. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU MOUNT SOLO WHERE IT WILL NOT IMPAIR YOUR VIEW NOR PRESENT A HAZARD IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. For optimum detection performance, we recommend the following: • Using the Windshield Mount, mount SOLO relatively level and high enough on your front windshield to provide a clear view of the road from the front and rear.
CONTROLS 11 AND 10 INDICATORS 12 13 2 3 4 11 5 1 ® mute 6 78 city dim ol pwr/v 9 MEMORY RETENTION FOR PREFERRED SETTINGS Keep the factory preset settings for Volume, Dim, AutoMute, City and other programmable features or select your own with SOLO's on-board computer. Your selected settings stay in SOLO's Memory even when it's turned off or the batteries are changed. For more information on SOLO's programmable options, the first in the industry, see page 8.
CONTROLS AND INDICATORS sound a “double-bing” confirming that it will remain on. (AutoOff can be “permanently” deselected. See Programmable Options on page 8 for more information). NOTE: Since the presence of even an extremely weak signal will keep SOLO on, turn SOLO off whenever you leave your car to prevent the batteries from being drained. 2 MUTE To mute the audio for a single specific signal: Briefly press the Mute Button.
CONTROLS AND INDICATORS 5 AUDIBLE ALERTS For Radar and Laser signals: SOLO uses a geigercounter-like sound to indicate the signal strength and type of radar or laser signal being encountered. When you encounter radar or laser, a distinct Audible Alert will sound and occur faster as the signal gets stronger. When the signal is very strong, the Audible Alerts will blend into a solid tone. This allows you to judge the distance from the signal source without taking your eyes from the road.
CONTROLS AND INDICATORS Battery Life Indication: Remaining battery life is displayed on the Signal Meter for 2 seconds both at power-up (after the five-second test alert) and at power-down. NOTE: Extreme temperature conditions can cause SOLO's Battery Life Indication to be inaccurate until SOLO's temperature returns to normal.
PROGRAMMABLE OPTIONS SOLO’s features are preset for optimum performance and battery life but you may change some settings to better suit your specific needs. Once a setting is stored into memory, it remains until you decide to reprogram it. OPTION WHEN TO USE HOW TO SELECT Disengage AutoMute If you prefer full audio volume for the duration of alerts. NOTE: Any single alert may still be muted by briefly pressing the Mute button during that alert. Press and HOLD the Mute button.
PROGRAMMABLE OPTIONS OPTION WHEN TO USE Select an alternative If you drive in an urban X-band sensitivity area where non-police Xlevel for City Mode band alerts from motion sensors and intrusion alarms are prevalent, this option allows you to select an X-band sensitivity level below the standard City Mode setting. HOW TO SELECT Press and HOLD the City button. SOLO will cycle through the 4 available City sensitivity levels and display relative X-band sensitivity on the Signal Meter (as shown below).
TUTORIAL MODE SOLO is equipped with a Tutorial mode to demonstrate all of the alerts and settings below in order to better familiarize you with them. To access the tutorial mode, simultaneously press and hold the Mute and City buttons as you turn SOLO on. SOLO will then demonstrate each of the following: FEATURE DEMONSTRATION Laser Alert Laser indicator lights as signal meter ramps down. Laser audio sounds. Ka-band Alert Ka indicator lights as signal meter ramps down. Ka audio sounds.
SPECIFICATIONS RECEIVER TYPE RADAR: LASER: Double Conversion Superheterodyne Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) Quantum Limited Video Receiver ANTENNA TYPE RADAR & SAFETY: Self-Contained, Die-Cast Horn, Linear Polarization (compatible with circular polarization) Infrared Photodiode with Fresnel Lens and LASER: Refractive/Prismatic Element DETECTOR TYPE RADAR & SAFETY: Scanning Frequency Discriminator LASER: Video Envelope OPERATING FREQUENCIES & WAVELENGTHS X-band: 10.
INTERPRETING ALERTS Although SOLO has a comprehensive warning system and this handbook is as complete as we can make it, only experience will teach you what to expect from your SOLO and how to interpret what it “tells” you. The radar alerts you receive are affected by the type of radar being used, the type of transmission (continuous or instant-on) and the location of the radar source.
INTERPRETING ALERTS ALERT EXPLANATION SOLO alerts intermittently. Rate and A patrol car is travelling in front of you strength of alerts may be consistent or with a radar source aimed forward. vary wildly. Because signals are sometimes reflected off of large objects and sometimes not, the alerts may seem inconsistent. SOLO alerts intermittently. Rate and A patrol car is approaching from the strength of signal increases with each other direction, “sampling” traffic with alert. instant-on radar.
HOW RADAR & LASER WORK HOW RADAR WORKS Traffic radar, which consists of microwaves, travels in straight lines and is easily reflected by objects such as cars, trucks, even guardrails and overpasses. Radar works by directing its microwave beam down the road. As your vehicle travels into range, the microwave beam bounces off your car, and the radar antenna looks for the reflections.
HOW SAFETY SIGNALS WORK alarms. Because LIDAR transmits a much narrower beam than does radar, it is much more accurate in its ability to distinguish between targets and is also more difficult to detect. AS A RESULT, EVEN THE BRIEFEST AND WEAKEST LASER ALERT SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. There are limitations to LIDAR equipment. LIDAR is much more sensitive to weather conditions than RADAR, and a LIDAR gun’s range will be decreased by anything affecting visibility such as rain, fog, or smoke.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEM SOLUTION SOLO will not turn on when Power Button is pressed. • Check to make sure batteries are not missing. • Batteries may need replacing. • Batteries may be installed improperly. SOLO beeps briefly at the same location every day, but no radar source is in sight. • SOLO is functioning properly. SOLO does not seem sensitive to radar or laser. • Make sure that SOLO’s radar An X-band motion sensor or intrusion alarm is located within range of your route.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEM SOLUTION Signal Meter registers but no audible alert sounds. • SOLO is probably in City mode SOLO’s display is not working. • Briefly press the Dim button to where X-band alerts are purposefully reduced. deactivate Dark Mode. SOLO’s audible alerts are less loud after the first few alerts. • SOLO is in AutoMute Mode. See All Signal Meter lights flash occasionally and SOLO "bleeps" twice each time. • SOLO’s batteries are low. SOLO bounces or sags on windshield.
SERVICE IF YOUR SOLO EVER NEEDS SERVICE, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS: 1 Check the troubleshooting section of this manual. It may have a solution to your problem. 2 Call us at 1-800-543-1608. We may be able to solve your problem over the phone. If the problem requires that you send your SOLO to the factory for repair, we will provide you with a SERVICE ORDER NUMBER, which must be included on the outside of your shipping box.
WARRANTY ESCORT ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY ESCORT warrants your SOLO against all defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of the original purchase, subject to the following terms and conditions: • The sole responsibility of ESCORT under this Warranty is limited to either repair or, at the option of ESCORT, replacement of the SOLO detector.
ACCESSORIES AND OPTIONS To order additional or replacement accessories, call ESCORT toll-free at 1-800-433-3487. The following optional accessories are also available for SOLO: SOLO POWER CORD Provides back-up or alternative power for your SOLO through your vehicle’s cigarette lighter. NOTE: SOLO is designed for 3V operation and its unique circuitry will not accommodate a standard 12V power cord.
SOLO is designed and manufactured in the USA. ESCORT 5440 West Chester Road West Chester, Ohio 45069 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 543-1608 SALES: (800) 433-3487 Manufactured under one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 4,313,216 4,581,769 4,583,057 4,604,529 4,613,989 4,631,542 4,686,499 4,750,215 4,862,175 4,887,753 4,896,855 4,952,937 4,954,828 5,049,884 5,049,885. Other Patents Pending. Product, accessory and features, specifications and pricing are subject to change without notice.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE To begin using your SOLO, just follow these three simple steps: a Insert two standard AA alkaline batteries into the battery compartment. b Mount your SOLO on the windshield using the windshield mount. c Press the Power-On button to turn SOLO on. 1 EasyMount Slot (page 3) Windshield mount is inserted here. Power Jack (page 7) Use optional Power Cord for back-up power source. To purchase, call toll-free 1-800-433-3487.
