Beltronics BEL 980 Radar Detector
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Similar in Radar Detectors
- Mute: With Mute
- Detection Mode: City / Highway modes
- Detection Area: Front / Rear
- VG-2/VG-3 Alert: VG-2 Alert
- Detection Bands: X Band K Band Ka Band Laser
- Alert type: Audio / Visual
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Too sensitive?
Pros
Excellent sensitivity, Voice alert, Filter options.
Cons
False alarms, False alarms and more False alarms.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Excellent sensitivity, nice options, good on line prices. Very high amount of false alarms.
I recently purchased a Bel 980, Escort 8500, and V1. The detectors where put through their paces and subjected to a few batteries of test that I feel are important to me.
The first test was K-band (HR-12) test. In this test I drove the test detector towards the radar gun at a specified speed and recorded the distance the detector first alarmed. In this test the V1 and the Bel 980 claimed top honors (the edge going to the V1). The Escort 8500 was behind the others by approximately 45 feet. All three showed excellent performance on this K-Band test.
The second test was a drive through a two-city loop approximately 13 miles. In this test the undisputed winner was the Escort 8500. The V1 took a far second and then the Bel 980. I have never had a high-end detector false as much as the Bel 980.
The third test was to see if the each unit would detect Lidar. Each unit detected the laser and alarmed according.
The last very subjective test was to use each unit for 1 week in daily driving. The V1 is an excellent detector with only 1 flaw that I seen - False alarms. The Escort 8500 was very nice and the unit I most trusted when it received an alert. If the Escort 8500 had arrows pointing to the direction of the radar I would have been in love. The Bel 980 had excellent sensitivity, very nice features, but false so much I found myself not trusting the unit.
If you want the least amount of false alarms and great range then buy an Escort 8500. If the highest sensitivity and directional arrows pointing to the radar source is important to you and you don't mind a moderate amount of false alarms then the V1 is for you. If you want excellent sensitivity, great price, and a High level of false alarms the Bel 980 detector is for you.
The first test was K-band (HR-12) test. In this test I drove the test detector towards the radar gun at a specified speed and recorded the distance the detector first alarmed. In this test the V1 and the Bel 980 claimed top honors (the edge going to the V1). The Escort 8500 was behind the others by approximately 45 feet. All three showed excellent performance on this K-Band test.
The second test was a drive through a two-city loop approximately 13 miles. In this test the undisputed winner was the Escort 8500. The V1 took a far second and then the Bel 980. I have never had a high-end detector false as much as the Bel 980.
The third test was to see if the each unit would detect Lidar. Each unit detected the laser and alarmed according.
The last very subjective test was to use each unit for 1 week in daily driving. The V1 is an excellent detector with only 1 flaw that I seen - False alarms. The Escort 8500 was very nice and the unit I most trusted when it received an alert. If the Escort 8500 had arrows pointing to the direction of the radar I would have been in love. The Bel 980 had excellent sensitivity, very nice features, but false so much I found myself not trusting the unit.
If you want the least amount of false alarms and great range then buy an Escort 8500. If the highest sensitivity and directional arrows pointing to the radar source is important to you and you don't mind a moderate amount of false alarms then the V1 is for you. If you want excellent sensitivity, great price, and a High level of false alarms the Bel 980 detector is for you.
