View Full Version : autoscan and highway
mattruett
08-18-2005, 03:09 PM
so i have a bel 995, and im trying to figure out what is the difference between autoscan and highway mode? im a little confused by it, and which one should i use most often? the manual says that they reccoment using autoscan, but they dont say why, and it doesnt say which radar each one scans for. could some people help answer my questions?
thanks,
matt
jbird
08-18-2005, 03:15 PM
I would completely avoid autoscan and stick with using highway on the highway and a city mode in the city. Autoscan may filter a distant alert that could be the difference between getting a ticket or not. Some users like myself who do not mind the "falsing" use highway mode all the time and learn where the false signals are and how strong they are on daily routes. Highway is the most sensitive mode so if something is in an odd area or stronger than normal then a cop could be ahead. Autoscan should be quieter than highway mode, but it may cause the alert to delay until the officer is close making detection useless at that point. Experiment with each mode yourself to see which works best for you.
SpeedFreak
08-18-2005, 04:10 PM
Like they said stick on Highway mode where theres no falses and if theres falses around, try city mode.
GTO_04
08-18-2005, 07:48 PM
In my experience, Autoscan cuts way down on sensitivity! I would avoid it. Use highway or city. BEL's city X mode works pretty good.
GTO_04
PassportToSpeed
08-18-2005, 08:55 PM
From what's in the manual it looks like autoscan and city mode only filter X band. Hwy mode is unfiltered. So if you turn off X band then it shouldnt matter what mode you're in. I believe this has been talked about before.
CLTX11
08-18-2005, 11:37 PM
Autoscan "remembers" how many alerts it gets and filters out the X BAND ONLY. It does not affect K or KA. Use HWY on the Highway and City in the City....set X Band to what you want it to be.
Personally I leave my X50 in HWY mode and remember all the falses....after going through the falses to many times...trust me youll know when there is a false even if it is in an unknown place.
Get used to the RD and its alerts and what not......you will recognize falses from real theats
mattruett
08-19-2005, 02:17 AM
thanks for the help.
later,
matt
GTO_04
08-19-2005, 12:43 PM
Autoscan on the X50 is not necessarily the same as on the BEL. On my BEL, autoscan cuts down the K band sensitivity by a significant amount.
GTO_04
amoney
08-20-2005, 12:14 PM
My Bel 985
Autoscan seems very intelligent... when in City mode it actually seems that there are more false alerts rather than Autoscan. City mode only filters X band.
Now City All mode is a neat mode, as it shows a visual (mind you pay attention) and mutes the audible untill it is a strong signal (factory set) then it will chirp. City All mode filters X and K bands.
RensoreK
08-20-2005, 08:17 PM
It seems both BEL and Escorts "Autoscan" work differently. The manual states:
"Note: X-Band sensitivity is not affected when used in "AutoScan", or "Highway" modes.
So autoscan apparently doesn't filter X band, and apparently K/Ka either. So what exactly does AutoScan do?
mattruett
08-20-2005, 08:33 PM
Autoscan sees the number of alerts and increases the warning threshold of the alerts, so you have less falses (and less sensitivity).
RensoreK
08-20-2005, 10:53 PM
I onced noticed a specific area when on AutoScan I always received a level "2" alert in the K band but when put on Highway or City NoX, I received a K3 sometimes K4 level alert. Maybe it does affect sensitivity somehow, but BEL should clarify this themselves I think :shock:
When I was using my X50 I always had it in highway mode and turned X band and pop off. This cut down on the falses ALOT. I've been reading alot of X band stories lately. I recommend turning your X band off only in WA state. I'm not totally sure of the other states anymore.
CLTX11
08-21-2005, 12:14 AM
It is a little hard for us to confirm what to turn off etc cause we dont know the driving habits of others, where they live, what is used etc.....
We can tell you what WE do, but that does not have any affect on what it is like in your area or where you travel etc...
Get a feel for it, note what you like and dislike, what you believe is being used and make the decision from there.