Bel V985 no sound, speaker ok

[wildbill59]

Hi, I'm new to the forum but have used detectors since I started driving. I've had all types of detectors from Fuzzbuster's, Uniden's, Cobra's, PNI's and currently my favorite Beltronics. My all time favorite is the Vector 985 because of all the features and sensitivity. I just purchased an additional 985 off ebay that looks brand new and came with all the accessories, aluminum storage box, and original box. The guy selling said the speaker stopped working and he did not want to fool with it. I got it for $20 and had a speaker to install when it came in. I installed the new speaker and powered up and still no sound. I checked the original speaker and it is working. Bel does not service this unit anymore so does anyone have an idea of what is wrong. I cannot get the case completely apart and don't want to pry on it without knowing what I am doing. I would really like to fix this unit.

[frankw]

I recently sent an email to bel cs and they told me they still service the 985s at a cost of $79. That was in jan of this year. If you really want to keep it just give them a call to make sure.

[kpatz]

Does the v985 have an audio jack on the side of it like the RX65? Try plugging something like a set of earphones into that jack and see if you get audio then. It could be as simple as a dirty contact in the jack. If it isn't that, check the board for bad solder joints around the speaker connections and the audio jack connections. If it's not that, it's probably the audio amplifier IC or whatever they use.

[wildbill59]

No the 985 does not have an external audio jack. I would like to take the case apart to look at solder connections but i am afraid I will damage the case trying to pry it apart. Since frankw said that Bel told him they still dervice this unit I will send Bel an email and see what they say. I really like the funtions of this unit especially the clicking of the automute instead of just a decrease of the alarm volume with the newer units. I have an old Bel Vector STI (Bel made an STI in the 90's) that still works great just not as sensitive and programmable as the 985.

[kpatz]

I have an old Bel Vector STI (Bel made an STI in the 90's) that still works great just not as sensitive and programmable as the 985.I used to have one of those STis. It was really sensitive but it falsed like it was going out of style. I think something was wrong with it because it would do full-scale I/O falses in the middle of nowhere. After 3 years it got so bad I replaced it with my first V1.

[wildbill59]

I have an old Bel Vector STI (Bel made an STI in the 90's) that still works great just not as sensitive and programmable as the 985.I used to have one of those STis. It was really sensitive but it falsed like it was going out of style. I think something was wrong with it because it would do full-scale I/O falses in the middle of nowhere. After 3 years it got so bad I replaced it with my first V1.

Yes my Bel Vector STI will sometimes max out on Ka in the middle of nowhere. Other than that it was my favorite detector until I got the 985. Is the 995 or Rx65 that much of an upgrade over my 985. Do they have better range and sensitivity. I know my 985 has great range and sensitivity.

[frankw]

The newer bels use the m4 horn. Alot of people prefer the older s7 that your 985 uses because it has better off axis detection and is much better on k band.

[Ray]

When I went from the 980 to the RX65, I didn't see any noticeble difference in performence. The RX65 just had more features. I want to get my 980 serviced too, if they still service the 985, they should still service the 980. I need to call them.

[wildbill59]

Well I decided to contact Bel on repairing my 985. I talked to a very helpful guy at Bel who said they would service the unit and ship back for $79. He said they would completely refurb and upgrade the unit to the latest software. He also said that this was one of the better units they had produced and that a lot of people preferred this unit for the s7 over the m4. I will keep everyone posted on how things turn out.

[KaPro]

Keep us posted! The 985 was one of the best ever made and well worth fixing!

[kpatz]

He also said that this was one of the better units they had produced and that a lot of people preferred this unit for the s7 over the m4. I will keep everyone posted on how things turn out.So even Bel/Escort admit that people prefer the S7 platform? Interesting. They should re-introduce it in the higher-end models (well, mid-grade) and use m4 for the cheaper models, IMHO...

Good that you're getting your unit fixed!

[CastIronFoot]

My V940 (S7) old school like your V985 blew the speaker. Here's what I did:
I unscrewed the RD and cut the wires to the speaker, removed it, and pushed the wires (red=positive, black=negative, of course) through the holes where the original speaker would have been then soldered a tape recorder speaker (bigger and louder) to the original wires and double sided taped it to the top of the detector. It works flawless and is absolutely ear piercing at even the lowest setting. Maybe the new speaker is broken as well? If someone explains how to I'll post a picture of my ghetto rigged V940.

You could also take it apart and plug it in and with a voltage meter see if the speaker is even getting power.

Can't get it apart? There is only two Phillip head screws holding it in. Unscrew them and remove the front plastic guard and pull it apart, shouldn't be to difficult. I wish you lived near by because I'd fix it for free...I hate to see a beast of a detector get thrown aside.

I'll take it if you want to get rid of it! :-)

[CastIronFoot]

Seriously, I apologize if I'm soliciting but I'll buy that V985 off your hands. I was an electronics technician for military radar and satellite so I know about circuit boards....I would love to own that thing. It is Bel's version of the original Escort 8500.

I apparently didn't fully read that you sent it in. If you paid for shipping I'd of fixed it for free. I enjoy working on circuit boards. Oh well......When she comes back you won't be disappointed.

[wildbill59]

Well I got my 985 back from Bel and it came back like it is on steroids. Much better detection range than my older non FCC 985 backup detector. Bel got the unit and repaired it and had it back to me in less than a week and also sent a new power cord. They repaired the speaker problem, updated the software, and manually tuned and calibrated the unit according to the enclosed card. It also appears they replaced the front and back lenses. The increase in detection range is amazing. I am tempted to send in my backup 985 and see if they can work the same magic on it. I took the unit out for a test run the past few days. There is a your speed is sign on the interstate that is hidden by a bridge and fairly steep curve. The old 985 would give a K alert from over a quarter mile away and the updated unit is well over half a mile consistently . My Cobra and PNI detector would give maybe an eighth to quarter mile warning. There is a school zone that I travel to work in the morning. There is always a cop there with constant on K. The new detector picked him up over a half mile further than my older 985. This makes me think that my older 985 could use a tuneup. The older unit gives enough warning but just does not compare to the updated 985. The city I live in uses K band exclusively and I have not had a chance to check Ka performance. There is a city that uses Ka that I plan to go later in the week so maybe I can see how the unit performs with Ka. I did check the laser detection by firing my Nikon rangefinder at the detector and it went off every time as soon as I pressed the button. I am very pleased with the detector and the repair/update from Bel.

[frankw]

Nice. This makes me want to send mine in. Do you use the accusweep feature?

[wildbill59]

frankw, yes I do use accusweep. It seems to pick up the Ka band quicker in the city that is south of where i live. The city that I work in uses only K band. Now this is when I was using my older 985 that it seemed to pick up Ka quicker. The newer 985 that I had repaired has not seen any Ka band yet but I still plan to use accusweep on it. I was coming home tonight on a straight two lane road. The 985 went off with a weak K band signal. I drove for about a mile with an ever increasing signal. At this time I met a local cop following behind another car. This was great detection range for the area I was in. I think you would not be disappointed if you sent your unit in for repair/update.

[CastIronFoot]

What if you've tampered with your detector? Will they still fix it? I think mine might be out of calibration because one day it flipped out and made a noise I've never heard before and the display screen showed upside down question marks and alphabetic letters that weren't English. I immediately unplugged it and turned it back on and it seemed fine. It still out detects the friends V995.

[wildbill59]

What if you've tampered with your detector? Will they still fix it? I think mine might be out of calibration because one day it flipped out and made a noise I've never heard before and the display screen showed upside down question marks and alphabetic letters that weren't English. I immediately unplugged it and turned it back on and it seemed fine. It still out detects the friends V995.

I don't think Bel minds if you have tampered with the detector. I had been inside the one I sent in and replaced the speaker. My older 985 will act up if it gets to hot. I can leave it mounted to the window in the hot sun and it will give me an error message that reads ???cal3 or something like that. I can cool it off and it works fine. I try to take it off the window when I'm not driving. For some reason the older Bel detectors do not like to get to hot. I tried my friend's new Vector 965 at a your speed is K band sign today and my repaired 985 beat it by close to 1/8th of a mile. Both mounted at the same spot on the windshield and I did not run them at the same time. I am very happy with my 985.