RDs in Europe: discussions,new issues,future... we need you!

[GeeM]

Hello everybody !

We (a French community similar to RD.net but smaller ) are actually discussing about the best RD for Europe, especially for France.

Actually, the V1 is the best RD for Europe as it is in the US (best laser detection, 2 antennas, different modes etc...) 8)

:arrow: There is one bad point which concerns the V1 and all other RDs in France : the detection of Mesta 210 radars is very bad and there is actually no RD manufacturer which seems to work on this issue :? . Mesta 210 are the latest radars in France, made by Sagem, working on K band 24.125 GHz and they are becoming the most used radars on French roads and soon, in other European countries.

Mesta 210 are not well detected by the V1 and other RDs. With the old version, the mesta 208, any RD was able to detect it at least 400m before the radar location (more for the V1...). Now, mesta 210 are detected about 200m maximum (sometimes only 50m).

We all have the impression that it's more a question of interpretation of the signal than a question of sensitivity. We hope that Bel or Valentine Research will work on this issue because there is a real demand of RDs in Europe so it will be profitable for Bel or VR to develop a product adapted for Europe (like the V1 Euro or Euro 550 which is too old now).

:arrow: Another problem is that we are afraid that the French government may buy Spectre RDDs very soon (Spectre are arriving in the Netherlands and in Belgium; we can think that France will be the next country to buy RDDs ). Valentine does not seem to work on a stealth V1 and the Bel STi is not adapted for Europe :roll:

> So, what do you think is the best RD for Europe actually?

> I think the Bel STi would be able to work in Europe but as there is no Euro mode, we will get lots of false alerts :cry: What do you think about that?

> Do you think that Valentine or Bel will work on their products in order to sell a stealth and efficient RD for Europe?*


Thanks for your help and your information guys :wink:

[jimbonzzz]

What are your radar threats in France?

According to this thread:
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=2130

9) France
X-band 9.9
X-band 10.6
K-band 24.125

Is this correct?

[GeeM]

=> X Band is not used anymore in France since mestas 206 have disappeared (and probably in whole Europe).
=> K Band 24.125 Ghz is the most used (mestas 208, 210; like gatso cameras).
I don't know if Multanova are still in use in France so maybe Ka 34.3 GHz.
(=> Lidars of course on 904 nm).

I created a list of all radars and lidars used in France several months ago, look at this. :wink:

[SmaartAasSaabr]

STI is not bad for that kind of conditions. Of course laser a jammer is always best, and 34,3 detection isn't as good as a narrowband detector, but on normal K should be no problem. The low-power 210 though...

[crazyVOLVOrob]

THe V1 has something call Euro Mode so you can use it in Europe....The BEL STi still works in europe. The bonus of the Sti is it's undetectable for travel in countries where detectors are illegal

[jimbonzzz]

> So, what do you think is the best RD for Europe actually?

It depends on what radar threats are in the area where the user drives.
For K-Band only, to the best of my knowledge the V1 in Euro Mode will get the best range of any detector.

> I think the Bel STi would be able to work in Europe but as there is no Euro mode, we will get lots of false alerts :cry: What do you think about that?

There won't be a lot of false alerts, unless there are a lot of motion sensors etc in your Europe that operate on Ka band. However, with no Narrow Ka mode, performance will be poor against 34.3 photo radar, especially Multanovas aimed away...

> Do you think that Valentine or Bel will work on their products in order to sell a stealth and efficient RD for Europe?*

I don't think Valentine Research will ever develop a product specifically to sell in Europe, the Valentine One is only intended for the North American market and I do not expect that to change. But they have Euro mode and Ku for US users who want to use their unit when travelling abroad, which is also good for people in Europe who can obtain a V1. I'm quite certain that Spectre immunity is on their list of things to do, but who know when we'll see it.

I also do not think that Beltronics will develop anything specifically for Europe by themselves. The STi, RX65, etc are not intended for use in Europe. On their website, they even say that they do not track radar and laser frequencies used oursde of North America. However, they might develop something new in cooperation with Target Automotive, their authorized distributor for Europe, like they did in the past. Perhaps someone could contact Target to see if there's anything new coming out.

[Carlos from Spain]

=> X Band is not used anymore in France since mestas 206 have disappeared (and probably in whole Europe).
=> K Band 24.125 Ghz is the most used (mestas 208, 210; like gatso cameras).
I don't know if Multanova are still in use in France so maybe Ka 34.3 GHz.
(=> Lidars of course on 904 nm).

I created a list of all radars and lidars used in France several months ago, look at this. :wink:

If the questions is "which is the absolute best?" and your threats are 24,125GHz and 34,360Ghz, and you want RDD invisibility then the answer is Stinger DSI. Its stealth to any RDD and gives the longest warning distances of any EU detector with its patch array antena.
The drawback is the price, 1700€. So if the question is "which is the most cost/effective detector?" then the answer changes and will vary from person to person. You have to consider if the 3-4 x price difference between a DSI and a V1 is worth the extra benefits to you.

[liquid_force]

I can only follow Carlos in his opinion, the Stinger DSI is simply the best, problably you have to mount the SA diagonal if you're driving also in the rest of europe, if only in france horizontal, in for example the netherlands vertically.

A Beltronics 975r (with a flitsservice.nl filter) would do quit well as well, for a more convenient pricetag.

[GeeM]

Actually, the Stinger DSI is pircey

When I say RD, I mean something with the basic features that enable it to detect radars and lidars (and maybe some advanced features) but not a computer with a RD module, even if it is good :?

I have seen some videos of the Stinger but it is not very interesting for us as it costs more than 20 speeding tickets in France!
Even if speed traps are numerous here, if you get caught so often, you are very unlucky

So, my questions concerns more the V1 and the STi because we think they both correspond to European needs if Bel or Valentine make some changes as explained above.

Thanks jimbonzzz for your idea of contacting to Target! I sent them an email today.

Also, I am a bit surprised about what you said about Valentine Research :

I don't think Valentine Research will ever develop a product specifically to sell in Europe, the Valentine One is only intended for the North American market and I do not expect that to change. But they have Euro mode and Ku for US users who want to use their unit when travelling abroad[...]

Do you really think that most american people who come in Europe take their own V1 in order to drive safe here ?

[GeeM]

up !