Beltronics Radar Detectors
May 18th, 2009 by admin
Bel Radar Detectors…
Bel (short for Beltronics) have been making radar detectors for many years and are considered in the industry to make some of the best radar and laser detectors out there. The top three units would be the RX65, the RX 75 (which is a remote, hidden system) and the new undetectable STi Driver. Each of these radars perform extremely well in detecting police and traffic speed measuring devices, however each are subtly different.
The RX75 is the oldest technology of the three detectors we’re mentioning, and has a remote antenna that mounts somewhere in the front of the vehicle. There is also a rear laser antenna that is mounted to provide alerts for laser targeting from behind. Both these are then connected to the control module that sits inside the vehicle.
Whilst the RX75 performs very well, it doesn’t have quite have the same sensitivity as the STi or RX65, as the technology is older. You can see how the RX75 performed at the Speed Measurement Labs test 2005.
The RX65 is quite common and popular with its Ku band (some European countries) voice alerts and POP radar reporting. A generation ahead of the RX75 platform it has slightly better sensitivity than the RX75 although, like all the new Bel models, it doesn’t have “Ka-band narrow” sweep which gives a radar a greater warning against low powered Multanova speed cameras.
For dash-mounted K or Ka band radar guns mounted in police cars or the older style radar guns, the RX65 is fine for the job, so long as you don’t have police Radar Detector Detectors (RDD’s) operating as the RX65 and RX75 are NOT invisible to the Stalcar / Spectre RDD’s.
The STi is the latest radar detector from Bel and is currently the only model which is 100% invisible to police RDD’s. In fact tests with the Bel STi sitting right in front of the RDD unit itself prove no RDD on the market can sense it’s presence. The STi also has two separate radar antennas built in, one for X-band (almost extinct around the world now) and one for K and Ka band. This is one of the reasons the STi has better sensitivity on these highly used radar bands, as it doesn’t have to search down low at the X band (10.5GHz)range simultaneously with K and Ka band.
There are some older Bel units still around that are quite popular including the Bel 990i, 966R and 975. These models DO have the Ka band narrow sweep and thus have better range on the photo radar cameras.