Bel 960 - Another great product from Beltronics.
Written: Mar 17 '03
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Pros: Long range sensitivity, TECH mode, best alternative for V1 & Passport 8500
Cons: "Hollow" voice, TECH mode shows only frequency. (no bars)
The Bottom Line: V960 delivers promising performances for a fraction of the more expensive models.
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| pkphilip's Full Review: Beltronics Vector 960 Radar Detector |
This is my second Bel detector in my last 2 years. The previous one I have is the Bel 870. This time, Bel does a great job on adding more features to make every penny worth.
In the place I live (BC, Canada), it is one of the few provinces that allow radar detectors. Unfortunately, the cops seems the move on laser, but in the recent budget cuts, those K band radars are coming back. So, if you know your location use only laser, I suggest you use a laser defensive system instead (Bel LP904 or K40).
V960 has longer range than my old Bel 870, It shows first warning of K band radar about 1.5KM before and 3KM on X band radar used by the "SpeedWatch" people (old people who show your speed and suggest you to respect speed limit). I have not experience any laser and Ka yet.
The alert is quite loud but it sounds "hollow" and sounds like computer compare to my Bel 870 which has a clearer voice. Why Bel always use the same male voice over the years?? The TECH mode allows you to see the current frequency, but I think it is just a novelty because it doesn't show you the bar or value of the alert. Informative, yet useless. Also, the digital "dot matrix" LCD is hard to read under bright sun.
Most people who uses radar detector complains about false alarms. With many brands of radar detectors I've seen. None of them have 0 falses. Those includes V1 and Passport 8500. However, V960 has the "City ALL" mode, where X,K,Ka alerts are beep once and silent until they reach "5". The AutoScan mode is a silent version of "City ALL" mode, where no alerts at all until the number reaches "5". Also, I discovered this model does not give false alarms on the presence of other radar detectors nearby and cell phones signals are not treated as "laser" as my old Bel 870 does.
As some other reviewers stated, V960 has better reception than other Bel's model.
Overall, V960 has delivered many great performances for the money. As for the common saying, "you get what you pay!" If you speed "a lot", then use a more expensive ones. I you typically drive around 100-130km/h, this one is a good choice because it offers you the time you need to react if something really comes up.
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These are my sole experiences, I am not endorsed by any company to review their products.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pkphilip
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Reviews written: 2
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