Whistler PRO78 or Beltronics V995

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07-19-2007, 09:05 PM
pronacyk

Whistler PRO78 or Beltronics V995

Currently, my primary detector is the pro78 and has so far gained my complete trust. I have a pro73 that I use as a backup (for maybe 1 week out of the year where my pro78 gets sent back for a firmware update or something).

I made a random impulse buy earlier this week and purchased the v995. From what I've been reading, its performance is the same as the RX65 with the exception of the v995 having the wider Ka-band sweep (Ka International) and the RX65 having the option for narrower sweep (Ka USA mode).

Which of the two units would be the better overall detector (and earn its place as my primary hardwired system)? The pro78 has exceptional false filtering and better customer support while the v995 has Tech mode and possibly better sensitivity (?) but more prone to the dreaded Self Cal show stoppers.
07-19-2007, 09:19 PM
insertquarter

Shoot, If I'd Take a V955 Over the 78, I Think u Can Tell I'd Take the 995 Over the 78...

Again, I'm Somewhat Biased Juzt Becauze I Own a Bel, But IMO Any Problemz Would b Worth the Performance Gainz in The 995...
07-19-2007, 09:22 PM
jdong

You've gotten yourself in the toughest decision:

PERFORMANCE:
I really say "who cares"? BOTH detectors would get you more than enough detection range to deal with instant-on or constant-on threats on any band.

FILTERING:
Bel is supposedly superior in filtering, though from what people are saying the Whistler pro-78 is pretty good at it too.

MULTIPLE THREATS
Bel takes the cake on this one -- the ability to see multiple threats or see the frequency is just not there in Whistler's products.

QUALITY / CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Whistler undoubtably takes the cake for this one.

So, you should consider the tradeoff of customer service / reliability for the abiliy to display multiple threats.... Hmm.... hmm....

Well can't help you any more.
07-19-2007, 09:32 PM
Stealthcb

Depends what you're willing to spend. If you can handle almost $300 for the 995, get it. But if I had to choose between the 955 and the Pro-78, I'll take the 78 all day long. Why? It's reliable. Bels simply are not. And if my 78 fails, I know Michael B will fix it for me without any trouble.
07-19-2007, 09:44 PM
pronacyk

OK. I should clarify. I did not buy a brand new V995. I bought a used unit from craiglist (made 35th week of 2004 with the S7 horn). From the pictures, it seemed to be in EXCELLENT condition (no scratches or evidence of long term use). I know all about the horror stories buying used from EBay and CG, but for $100 shipped, I had to at least try. Whether it is actually going to perform at all (if I don't get the SELF CAL message within 2 minutes of power-up) is going to be the big question once it arrives. I've been reassured that I will get my money back if this unit is a lemon.

So yes, reliability is a big factor in my decision. I'm thinking that I bought it just to venture outside of Whistler and try something new. Even if the 995 ends up beating my 78 by miles and miles (which I know it won't), I will probably end up selling it again and keeping the pro78 just because of the reassurance of the 3 year warranty.
07-19-2007, 09:53 PM
vortexnut

I own both the whistler xtr-690(same platform as the pro 78)and the V995. If most of the leos in your area run KA band guns then get the Whistler Pro-78 as it is more sensitive than the V995. However if K band is your main concern then get a V995 as it is a fair amount more sensitive than the pro 78. MY Bel V995 actually alerted me to a laser hit 2 days ago and I saw an IL State Police Vehicle hiding behind a concrete barrier with his nice little lidar gun. At least my Bel alerted to it. Thankfully I was only going 5 over the speed limit.
07-19-2007, 10:08 PM
insertquarter

If yr Not Buyin a Brand New V995, Get the Whistler. I'd Never Buy a Detector Uzed, and I'd ESPECIALLY Never Buy a Bel Uzed. Heard 2 Many Bad Storiez Regarding That...
07-19-2007, 10:28 PM
pronacyk

The primary threat on my daily route to work is through Novi's K-band alley. The pro78 has performed admirably on K-band and has given me 1-1.5 miles of warning on average over multiple hills. However, some of the weaknesses that I have noticed (that I think are non-trivial) are band-confusion and lower off-axis sensitivity.

I (and some other users) have had K-band radar being reported as X-band on multiple occasions. Mike B says that this is due to another radar source present in the area. However, I have experienced this on my daily route and I know for a fact that this wasn't the case in my situation(s). A K-band speed sign was put up on a portion of my evening route home in an area w/ no previous alerts and no automatic door openers. However, the 78 alerted to a solid X-band signal and did not switch to K until I power-cycled the unit. I have also experienced this as I drove past a stationary Novi K-band LEO perpendicular to the road. I haven't heard of any instances of Bel/Escort/Valentine units behaving this way.

Compared to my pro73, the pro78 no longer alerts to the corner CVS and Rite-Aid. From the FCC pics of the 78/690 horn vs the 73 horn, it is obvious that the 78's horn is more narrow and directional. With a more directional antenna, on-axis sensitivity is increased at the expense of off-axis performance. Although off-axis sensitivity is not a major concern (as LEOs are unable to obtain accurate off-axis measurements), it can be quite useful at intersections where there may potentially be a LEO using IO turning onto the road after you pass by. Although these situations may be rare, a RD with good off-axis sensitivity would offer one more thing to put you at ease.
07-19-2007, 11:23 PM
Phillip559

I know I have said this many times before but he Bell995 saved me hundreds of times (read my sig). It was my first detector and I truly did fall in love with the hobby because of it. It rocked on both K and Ka band.

Yea guys, it did well on k band even though bells supposedly suck.

I was saved probably 8-10 times from k band instant on. It alerted instantly when I was shot . It did likewise on ka band instant on and sniffed out Stalker constant on guns from miles away. As for laser or pop, I can't report .
07-19-2007, 11:48 PM
ELVATO

If you are going to have both, then why not try each for a little bit? Maybe I missed something in your post.
07-20-2007, 10:01 AM
pronacyk

Quote:

Originally Posted by ELVATO

If you are going to have both, then why not try each for a little bit? Maybe I missed something in your post.

Yes, I will try both. I was just trying to get an opinion on which is more capable. Over time, I will be able to assess the performance of both detectors and compare. I just wanted some hear responses with people who may have owned one or the other or both. Thanks everyone for the great feedback though. I really appreciate it.
07-20-2007, 10:05 AM
Stealthcb

Yeah, if you're OK trusting a used detector, just alternate. I'd like to try out a 995 too. Or keep the 995 as a backup for when you send the 78 off to Michael for updating.
07-20-2007, 10:06 AM
thestaton

I can't vouch for the 995 being I've never used one for more than a few minutes. However I can tell you they are about 80% blind to laser. we where aiming a hand held laser unit within inches of it's main sensor and it wouldn't alert. put it on the windshield walked around the front of the car pointing right at it silent. so if you want a detector that won't false on laser it's the one to go with.

the pro 78 is a solid / excellent performer but I couldn't live with the blue display and the tones.
07-20-2007, 12:50 PM
kpatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by thestaton

I can't vouch for the 995 being I've never used one for more than a few minutes. However I can tell you they are about 80% blind to laser. we where aiming a hand held laser unit within inches of it's main sensor and it wouldn't alert. put it on the windshield walked around the front of the car pointing right at it silent.

The newer rev. RX65 (using the M4 board) is anything but blind to laser. I would guess newer 995s would be the same way. But if you get a used one, you would probably get the older rev. Not that one should use laser sensitivity as a criteria for choosing an RD anyway...
07-28-2007, 02:22 AM
pronacyk

OK. So I got the 995 and it's in great condition. It's an older unit (Rev 3.6) with the S7 horn. I've managed to take it out for a test run along with the 78 as a comparison. I drove down parts of my usual route to work with multiple X and K-band door openers. I ran them together (just for comparison purposes) and found the 995 to alert a couple seconds earlier than the 78 on K-band and at roughly the same time for X-band.

Perhaps the most significant different between the two was the 995's superior off-axis detection. The 78, being so directional, is very quiet when traveling areas with K-band door openers facing perpendicular to the road. The 995, on the other hand, picks all of these up with ease (even better than my pro-73).

So, it was pretty much what I had thought all along. The 995 is slightly more sensitive than the 78, but more noisy through shopping areas due to better off-axis detection.

Some things I love about the 995:

1. Single Letter display mode (H,A,C).
2. Red LEDs (BRT, MED, MIN, and DARK modes)...much easier on the eyes than the 78's bright BLUE LEDs.
3. Tech mode. I don't use it much (since I'm so used to Whistler's numerical signal strength indicators that I really haven't developed a good feel of exactly how strong a signal is through frequency of beeps), however, it is wonderful for a rough approximation of number of bogeys (by counting the number of different frequencies).

Some things I don't like about the 995:

1. Every single alert for me so far has started and ended at 2 bars. Is this due to the detector being out of tune or is it the firmware?

2. Automute is a little too quiet. The auto quiet volume on the 78 was perfect.

3. Bracket and weight. The mounting bracket is made from some pretty thin sheet metal. The 995 is extremely heavy compared to my 78 (maybe even twice as heavy). This is perhaps due to the type of material used in the horn. I'm worried that with the combination of such a soft bracket, a heavy detector, and Michigan roads (excessive vibration), both the bracket and the detector will take a pretty good beating.

Conclusion:

I'll have to send in my 78 for the firmware update and see if the slight boost in K and Ka is enough to tie or beat the 995. If so, then the 995 goes back into armrest storage and the 78 gets to keep its status as my primary. But until then, the 995 will stay hardwired.
07-28-2007, 10:27 AM
jdong

IMO the adjustable filtering levels on the Pro-78 makes it worth it.... I'm pretty sure the Bels all go off to Cobra XRS units.
07-28-2007, 10:38 AM
insertquarter

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdong

IMO the adjustable filtering levels on the Pro-78 makes it worth it.... I'm pretty sure the Bels all go off to Cobra XRS units.

I Haven't Had 1 False 2 a Cobra (2 my Knowledge) With my V955, and I've Run In 2 a Few. Maybe Itz Juzt Me...
07-28-2007, 10:51 AM
happya$$

I would take the Pro 78 any day of the week. It comes with ROCK SOLID CS, ROCK SOLID quality, GREAT filtering, and GOOD sensitivity. HONESTLY I feel just as comfortable driving with my Pro 78 as I do with any other RD
07-28-2007, 11:26 AM
Stealthcb

Quote:

Originally Posted by insertquarter

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdong

IMO the adjustable filtering levels on the Pro-78 makes it worth it.... I'm pretty sure the Bels all go off to Cobra XRS units.

I Haven't Had 1 False 2 a Cobra (2 my Knowledge) With my V955, and I've Run In 2 a Few. Maybe Itz Juzt Me...

Upper end Bels usually have good filtering.
07-28-2007, 11:26 AM
Stealthcb

Quote:

Originally Posted by happya$$

I would take the Pro 78 any day of the week. It comes with ROCK SOLID CS, ROCK SOLID quality, GREAT filtering, and GOOD sensitivity. HONESTLY I feel just as comfortable driving with my Pro 78 as I do with any other RD

Yeah, I agree. I love this thing.
07-28-2007, 01:37 PM
LittleOverPSL

Quote:

Originally Posted by pronacyk

So, it was pretty much what I had thought all along. The 995 is slightly more sensitive than the 78, but more noisy through shopping areas due to better off-axis detection.

My S7 v4.5 has AutoScan, it works fairly well. If you have that on yours, you can try testing that mode too.

Quote:

3. Tech mode. I don't use it much (since I'm so used to Whistler's numerical signal strength indicators that I really haven't developed a good feel of exactly how strong a signal is through frequency of beeps), however, it is wonderful for a rough approximation of number of bogeys (by counting the number of different frequencies).

Watch out for the dreaded Bel audio ramp up. It's definitely something Bel needs to work on. That's why I keep my tech mode usage for academic purposes only.

Quote:

1. Every single alert for me so far has started and ended at 2 bars. Is this due to the detector being out of tune or is it the firmware?

Think of strength graph position as a text character, so Ka is 2 characters while X/K are 1. The Bel firmware just 'filled in' a single dot for the second character when the band identifier was a single character. They've fixed this in v6.3.

Quote:

3. Bracket and weight. The mounting bracket is made from some pretty thin sheet metal. The 995 is extremely heavy compared to my 78 (maybe even twice as heavy). This is perhaps due to the type of material used in the horn. I'm worried that with the combination of such a soft bracket, a heavy detector, and Michigan roads (excessive vibration), both the bracket and the detector will take a pretty good beating.

I think you'll be fine.

As for reliability issues, it's been doing well so far so I doubt it's one of the more frail units. If you indeed were interested in keepign a back up, then I'd sell the Pro-73 and keep the Pro-78 & V995.