Question

[BingoPlayerz]

I currently own an old Bel Vector 940 which works very well. I'm looking to get a new detector so I borrowed a friends new Bel V995 to get an idea of how it compares. I wanted to have them both running to see which one was more sensitive so I did so. Why does the V995 trigger 3 bars of X-band on the 940, but the 940 doesn't affect the 995 at all? Is it leaking or do I need to adjust a setting?

Another question to....I know this is a probably a bad test for sensitivity but I went to the supermarket and the 940 will trigger K-Band as I'm turning into the parking lot and then go full bore when I straighten out. The V995 didn't do anything until I was almost on top of the doors. Is this just a product of it sensing the doors as a false alert or is the 940 more sensitive?

Thanks for any insight.

[AirMoore]

Search button and stickies are your friend!


For your purposes:
You cannot run two radar detectors at one time on your windshield properly... they can cause falses on one another, make alerts warning distance much less then one at a time, and or MISS ALERTS COMPLETELY.


Some advanced and knowledgeable members on here run two at once, but they know exactly what they are doing... and often the detectors are completely different than what you run (spectre immune and remote mounts).


You cannot safely run those two RD's together.




THE V940 and V995 are exactly the same detection wise... the only thing difference is features. He paid out the @$$ for features you don't have.


Furthermore, if your V940 is old enough to have an "S7" antenna, and his is new enough to have the "M4" antenna... many members would consider your RD superior to his.



The best thing you can do is: Find a stationary source, and run 1 at a time and make multiple runs at the source. (A speed sign is perfect for this).



As long as you haven't seen any Service Required or Self Cal messages on your V940... don't waste your money upgrading to get a few more features on the V995.

[BingoPlayerz]

Thank you for the input, and to clarify my 940 does utilize the S7 platform so I suppose I either have to buy a V1, Redline, or STi to get more sensitivity.

[focalcivic]

Thank you for the input, and to clarify my 940 does utilize the S7 platform so I suppose I either have to buy a V1, Redline, or STi to get more sensitivity.

That is why you will get that off axis alert as opposed to the 995 m4. You are correct you will have to get one of the those to beat the 940.

[EscortRadar]

Not all M4 models detect the same. The GX65, 9500i, and 9500ix should out detect the 940 and 995 on Ka band.

[BingoPlayerz]

So as luck would have it the county Sheriff's department put up a stationary k-band display unit right in town. It is in a perfect testing spot too. It's down a straight away, then around a left corner and half way down that straightaway. I did 6 runs, using the 995 3 times and the 940 3 times. I used only one at a time. To my amazement the 995 out performed the 940 every time. It picked up the initial K-band signal 200+ feet before the 940 every time. I'm definitely pleased with the performance of the 995 plus I can shut off X-band and Laser since neither have any use around here.

[AirMoore]

Not all M4 models detect the same. The GX65, 9500i, and 9500ix should out detect the 940 and 995 on Ka band.

You're right... they SHOULD, with the price difference, but it doesn't solidly pan-out like that...



We know the gig basically, an M4 is an M4, the minor software (err... algorithm?) tweaks (between the highest/lowest end M4's which you are likely referring to) are offset by the manufacturers variance between models these days.



If we use the latest unbiased testing:

Check out the V995 vs 9500ix:
Radar Detector Tests and Reviews by Guys of LIDAR - LASER

(V995 beat the 9500ix)... though marginally on 2 of 3 Ka-bands.

The Bel RX-65 beat out the 9500ix on EVERY Ka-band... likely due to it being a slightly hotter unit via manufacturer variance.


In this 'unscientific testing'... at the bottom against photo-radar (again don't say it isn't real world etc...) just a point-in-parcel:
Radar Detector Tests and Reviews by Guys of LIDAR - LASER

Look at the bottom the (a) Vector beats the 9500ix. In BOTH simulated photo-radar AND I/O testing.



Manufacturer variance > Minor software tweaks.

Unless of course you would like to release in-house -db numbers for us on each model... and or specs on minimum qualifications for each unit to pass QC across the models...

We wouldn't mind that either. (I know you can't... which is why we have to go by product-testing).

One might say the best of the 9500ix will beat out the best of the Vector series on any given day (and this is likely true), but thanks to manufacturers variance you can't count on it... you have no clue what you are getting... except any other M4...

[focalcivic]

So as luck would have it the county Sheriff's department put up a stationary k-band display unit right in town. It is in a perfect testing spot too. It's down a straight away, then around a left corner and half way down that straightaway. I did 6 runs, using the 995 3 times and the 940 3 times. I used only one at a time. To my amazement the 995 out performed the 940 every time. It picked up the initial K-band signal 200+ feet before the 940 every time. I'm definitely pleased with the performance of the 995 plus I can shut off X-band and Laser since neither have any use around here.

Don't forget your 940 is older already, so it might not be performing as it should, also, that is one band and ka is the crucial band.

[EscortRadar]

You're right... they SHOULD, with the price difference, but it doesn't solidly pan-out like that...

Actually the price difference is for the inclusion of GPS. We tell people that the detection performance is the same between RX65, GX65, X50, and 9500i/ix. It is my personal experience, as well as many others, that the newer M4 models tend to be a little hotter to Ka over our similar non-GPS detectors. I'm fairly positive that there is hardware changes in the GPS M4 that would account for this. This slight Ka boost includes the Qi45.

You are correct that there are manufacturing variances and we test each unit to pass minimum dBs.