soupcraze's Full Review: Beltronics Pro RX65 Radar Detector
The Bel Pro RX65 is one of the top detectors that Beltronics offers other than the Vector series. But there's one nice thing about the Bel Pro RX65, and that's that it's Escort bred. It appears to be a detector that will take over from the already aging Escort Passport 8500. Well, as for some people have had the 8500 from the start, one I know has already sold their Passport 8500 for a newer Bel Pro RX65. After getting a chance to take this bad boy for a spin, I was pleasantly surprised. Here's what I found.
-Price-
*The Bel Pro RX65 isn't a cheap detector. Unlike the Vector series which you can find for much lower than the MSRP, the Pro's aren't plentiful and they sell at their MSRP price. The unit I tested out was purchased at $329.95, which is about $30 more than how much he had paid a long while back for the Escort Passport 8500. Also it's considerably more expensive than the Bel Vector 985 (Comparable to Escort Passport 8500) but it makes up with more features and overall better performance. While some people might be more familiar with Escort, this Beltronics is an Escort in every way. It closely resembles the Escort Passport 8500 in many respects, but the screen is easier to read and centered, and also it provides protection to the MPH POP radar gun which is today's craze. I tried both out next to each other when I did the test, and they have overall similar sensitivity. Even though the Passport 8500 is beginning to get old, it's still one of the top performers on the market. However, on the other hand, the Bel Pro RX65 does offer an edge for the international traveler. It offers Ku-Band protection (A radar band used in some European countries) which the Escort Passport 8500 fails to provide. Also, if you're very worried about POP radar, then this might be a good unit for you since it has "POP Alert". In comparison to the Bel Pro RX55, the cheaper model which I am yet to try out, it just offers a case, more features, and a different color scheme (Resembling the relationship between the 8500 & 7500S). But if you do want the most possible features and performance at a... reasonable(?) price, then the Bel Pro RX65 is pretty good for you. It's an Escort in disguise... But it handles so damn good! If you want to spend more money and receive rear protection, then I'd spend the extra clams on a Valentine One. But for what you pay for, you get a great unit which is one of the best that you'll find.
-Performance-
*Overall, the Bel Pro RX65 proved itself to be an excellent performer. I mounted it up next to an Escort Passport 8500. Both are excellent detectors, but the Bel Pro RX65 does have its edge... Here's what I found with the performance.
X-Band
*As X-Band guns are being phased out, there's not really much point to be discussing this. Even the cheapest of today's detectors are capable of offering adequate range for X-Band radar guns. When I tested out the range, I had to go on a stretch (IL-60) where there was a strong X-Band transponder in the road. The Bel Pro RX65 obviously gave a very long warning time, similar to the Escort Passport 8500. So if you're coming into contact with an obsolete X-Band radar gun, you'll definitely have enough time to slow yourself down and save yourself quite a bit of money!
K-Band
*The Escort and Bel offer the best K-Band protection alongside the Valentine One. Obviously, the Bel Pro RX65 provided a good amount of warning time. It went off at about the same time as the Escort Passport 8500 on K-Band on a straight stretch of road. The cop was moving towards me. Even if I was doing nearly reckless speeds, it would've provided adequate time to slow down. Since K-Band is the most widely used radar band, I find this to be the most crucial test. The Bel Pro RX65 didn't fail to impress.
Ka-Band
*The most difficult radar band to detect appears to be Ka-Band. Once again, the Escort and Bel were on top of things. The Ka-Band performance is usually what distinguishes cheap worthless detectors to the big boys. Both of the detectors offered well more than enough time to slow down on Ka-Band when on a straight road. As long as you're not doing warp speeds, you should be able to slow down with more than enough time before you're in range of the cop. This is comparable to the Valentine One. Also, the Bel Pro RX65 has something that the Escort Passport 8500 doesn't have. It has "POP Alert". This will tell you if POP radar is being used. If you don't know what that is, POP radar is a gun made by MPH which fires such a short burst that a radar would have trouble picking it up. Many detectors lack range to pick up typical instant-on, so you can only imagine how much of a pain it would be to pick up POP. I haven't encountered POP, but since the detector is made to pick it up, that should make life a lot better. Overall, if you're concerned about Ka-Band performance, the Bel Pro RX65 will offer you top-rate performance.
Ku-Band
*This detector was tested in the United States, where Ku-Band isn't used. This radar band is used in some European countries. This is one thing that the Escort Passport 8500 doesn't offer, which the Bel Pro RX65 does. Since I haven't seen the Ku-Band performance, I'm unable to comment on it. But considering the overall performance of the other bands, the Ku-Band performance on the Bel Pro RX65 should be top-rate when you're overseas.
*The drawback to having the Ku-Band protection is that some satellite dishes use Ku and C bands. So therefore your detector will maybe false on Ku-Band. I do know that satellite dishes from Spacenet and Gilat VSAT networks use Ku-Band... Just thought you should know before you start thinking that cops in the US are using Ku-Band.
LASER
*When I used the Bel Pro RX65, I didn't encounter laser guns. But this detector is equiped with "Total Laser Tracking" which is supposed to increase the optical field-of-view. Unless you have a laser jammer in your car, laser alerts are nearly worthless. Once you're hit, you're almost always clocked. Well, the Bel Pro RX65 does offer you one nice thing. The Beltronics laser jamming system was updated to the new Bel Laser Pro 905, which the Bel Pro RX65 is compatible with. This should offer you excellent protection against laser.
*Overall, when it comes to performance, I can see why they gave this detector the word "pro". It really handles radar like a pro. It won't fail to impress you, and it should save you a lot of money from costly traffic tickets!
-Ease of Use & Features-
*The Bel Pro RX65 has a pretty nice interface. In comparison to the cheaper Bel Pro RX55, the Bel Pro RX65 has some more features. But first off, let's look at the controls. There are four buttons on top of the detector. There's a power button which turns it on and off. There's a City/Highway mode button which lets you switch between the different modes. Then there's the dim switch. One thing that I find appealing on the Bel Pro RX65 is that it has a large volume/mute button which is much more convenient and strategically placed than those on the Vectors. This allows for easy volume adjustment and muting of threats. Then the driver selectable features can be accessed similarily to a lot of the other more complex detectors. That can get confusing... But if you just stick to factory settings, then you should be all good. Even if you're not good with electronics, it shouldn't be that hard getting accustomed to using it.
*So then finally comes to screen. It's much better than the LED display that you find on the Vector series detectors. It's modeled after the display on the Escort Passport 8500. As an American driver, I like that the display is angeled towards me on the Passport. Like the other Beltronics detectors, the Bel Pro RX65 has a screen facing directly backwards. This is a big plus for drivers where people drive on the right side of cars (After all, this is usable in Europe!), but not as great as it can be for American drivers. The strength meter on the Bel Pro RX65 is easier to read than the Vector strength meter. Also, like the Escort Passport 8500, the Bel Pro RX65 offers the multi-bogey display which will show you numerous threats at the same time. This is great so you'll know there's a new threat if you're radar is already being over-taken by falsing. This can be difficult to read under certain conditions. That's why I prefer the Valentine One when it comes to analyzing multiple threats. But other than that, this proves to be a very useful tool for those strategic drivers. Also, for those mathematically inclined, the Bel Pro RX65 offers a tech display. This will show you the exact frequency of a radar band. If you know the frequencies of the Ka-Band guns used in your area, you distinguish Ka-Band falsing (Such as leaky radar detector oscillators) from an otherwise lethal radar gun. For less falsing, you can use the AutoScan mode which adjusts to sensitivity in your area. This makes the detector less chatty. Another great thing about this detector is that it offers voice alerts. For those who don't want to memorize specific tonal alerts or make visual band identifications, this should prove to be great. This is one area where the Bel Pro RX65 edges out the Escort Passport 8500. Overall, when it comes to the layout and features, the Bel Pro RX65 is on top of things.
-Looks & Styling-
*The Bel Pro RX65 has a silver color scheme while the Bel Pro RX55 has a black color scheme. This closely resembles the Escort Passport 8500. The cheaper detector resembles the Escort Passport 7500S. I would prefer black since it's less attractive to car theives. But as for those who want good looking devices in their cars, the Bel Pro RX65 should be able to float their boats.
-Other Stuff You Should Know-
*The Bel Pro RX65 comes with a carrying case. It's an attractive high-quality one. It's very convenient for stashing and protecting your radar detector. I guess people would take this as a good thing. The RX55 doesn't have one unfortunately.
-The Verdict-
*The Bel Pro RX65 is probably the finest windshield mounted device coming from Beltronics. It does edge out the Vector series such as the Bel Vector 990i and Bel Vector 985 even though it's considerably more expensive. Even though it says "Beltronics", it's an Escort at heart. But the Bel Pro RX65 is probably a wiser choice than the already aging Escort Passport 8500 since it offers the "POP Alert", Ku-Band (Pointless for most), and voice-alerts. If you're an Escort-loyalist and want your detector to say "Escort" on it, I wouldn't hesitate in any way with buying the Passport 8500. It's an INCREDIBLE detector. But I seem to be thinking that a new device might be lurking in the near future, perhaps the Escort Passport 9500? ;) If the $300 price-range is too much money, you should still consider the Bel Vector 985 which is considerably cheaper but offers just slightly worse performance. Overall, the Bel Pro RX65 proves itself to be very worthy... So thanks to this, lead footed drivers will be happy drivers.
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