Home > Consumer Reviews > Beltronics Vector 940 Radar Laser Detector

I just got this detector about 3 weeks ago and already have save me twice from our friends in Blue uniforms. Not that I am a speedster but you know sometimes you are not paying attention to you speed. But when my Vector 960 alert me of our friends in blue are around monitoring speed, it gives you plenty of time to look at your speedometer to make sure that you are doing the speed limit :)). This dectetor range of dectection for X/K/and the fear Ka as well as laser is far superior than any other brand in the market with the exception of maybe the Escort 8500 and on that case is a dead even match. With the edge going to the Bel since is easier to find in the market place and you can also find it for alot less than the Escort, also the Bel has voice alert that let you know the band that is been dectected... So if you want to get an outstanding dectector and save few bucks I recommend the Bel Vector 960. And if you want to spend a little more money, but still save over the Escort 8500 you can get the Bel Vector 985 which is the top of the line of Beltronics. It's pretty much the same as the 960 but with few more features, but as for preformance the are pretty much equal to each other. The 960 give very few false alarms especially if you use the autoscan mode. The one feature that is lacking is the ability to cancel a particular band e.i. X band. Which we all know is the band with the most falsing and if you reside in a metro area you can do with out it (just make sure that no units use the X band in your local area). If you go on a long trip make sure that you reselect the X band. The Vector 985 has this pacticular feature. But with the new Autoscan on the 960 & 985 falsing is reduce dramatically on all bands specially the X band. I reside in Dallas TX, big city with alot of garage doors, automatic doors, etc... and the falsing is very small comparing to the old unit that I use to have (a Whistler 975) that thing was a mobil false alarm. Well I hope that this review helps you make your choice on a radar dectector.

Having done a lot of research before making my purchase, I have come to understand much about radar detectors in general. First of all, no matter how many radar "bands" a radar detector claims to detect, there are only 3: X/K/KA. This detector detects all of these, plus laser. A word on laser: radar/ laser detector combos that you mount on your windshield do not detect laser very well at all- officers direct their laser beam at the license plate, which is quite far away from these detectors. Thus, do not have much hope for any laser detector. I found the Bel Vector 940's performance with laser to be quite good, considering the enormous advantage the police have over laser detectors. However, the 940's performance with all bands of radar is almost unbeatable in this price range. The more money you shell out, often, the better detector you will get. Thus this is not as sensitive as other, more expensive models I have tried, but it works to such a degree that I question whether or not spending more money actually means getting a better detector. The bottom line: This detector is, all things considered, one of the best out there.

This is the only radar detector I have ever owned, so I cannot compare it to any others, but I am very happy with it. Because of this lack of experience, I am hesitant to give more than 4 stars. The only negative thing I can see about this is that I get many more false readings than real warnings, but since I drive through the city a lot, that is to be expected. On the positive side, I find that I get warnings as far as 1.5 miles away on a strong signal (I was driving toward one of those speed trailers that says "Speed limit 65, your speed: xx" on the freeway with the detector set on "Highway"). Under more normal conditions, I usually have somewhere around 3/4 mile which gives plenty of time to check and reduce speed if necessary.

This paid for itself a few months ago after detecting a cop around a corner of a large rock face. I slowed down and the car just behind mine passed me and then got pulled over.

I purchased this radar detector last December of 2001 and I was very impressed on how the radar detector sniffed up the low-powered and lethal KA band. I went on a rode trip from West Palm Beach to Bradenton. During the trip the radar detector alerted me up the lethal KA band radar 2 miles away. If one averages that the fine for going at least 15 miles an hour over the speed limit is $173 dollars. Now that one has that figure in their head, if one is on a road trip and your radar detector goes off 3 times the whole way there then you just saved yourself $519 dollars. So radar detectors do work and I could go on all day about stories where that I have been saved from recieving a ticket. Also, the town where I am in spent 1 MILLION dollars on a police car that uses KA radar that can transmit a signal in all directions, and the Bel 940 gave a warning of over 2 miles away from the source (which in this case was the 1 MILLION dollar police car). The features of the Bel 940 are great, the dim feature helps while driving at night. The range is superb in the front and in the rear. The Bel 940 radar/laser detector's front range is excellent due to the fact that it can detect X, K, KA bands at over 2 miles away. The rear range is also great detecting: X band: 2 miles away, K band: 2 miles away, and KA band: between 1/2 a mile to over 1 mile away. I have done alot of research on the Vector 940 radar/laser detector along with other detectors and I have found that for the price...along with the ability to UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE for future radar/laser monitoring technolgy that the BEl Vector 940 radar/laser detector will be the only radar detector that one will need/own. Also, as far as laser detection goes this radar detector is unbeatable, I am speaking from personal experience. I picked up laser at 1000 feet and it gave me time to slow down, and also this detector can pick up shattered laser signals (meaning if a police officer hits the car next to you with laser then the Bel 940 detector will pick up the signal. Also, this detecor has immediate response to INSTANT ON/PULSED radar. Overall, I am extremly happy and satisfied with the Bel Vector 940 radar/laser detector. Keep this in mind before one buys a radar/laser detector ALWAYS do research on the product and remember that just because a radar detector is $400 does not mean that it is the best. The Valentine radar detector company hypes the public over that if you do not have a rear radar antenae on your radar detector then you cannot pick radar up from the rear and Valentine further says that front antenae radar detectors can only recieve a rear signals from billboards and road signs, well that is completly NOT TRUE. Apparently the people over at the Valentine radar detector company did not take the time to do their homework. The fact is that radar signals pass through your vehicle MEANING if a police officer is behind you or a few cars behind you then you can still pick up a signal for 2 reasons. The first reason is that radar signal are actually radio waves that in turn can pass through your car, so the radar signals reflect off metallic along with other surfaces in your car that hit the radar detector and trigger an alert, also road signs and billboards help but the point is that you will recieve a signal from the rear (KA band: 1/2- 1 mile away from the rear) regardless if you are driving in a city (where signs in billboards are) or if you were driving in the desert (where NO signs or billboards are available) the second reason is that radar signals (X, K, KA band) spread over about 4 lanes of highway or about 250 ft. Meaning that is a big area in which some signal can pass through your vehicle and trigger your radar detector. I am not bashing Valentine I am just disgusted at what they say about other radar detector companies and I am just setting the record straight on the ability of front radar antenae radar detectors to pick up radar signals from the rear. If anyone that reads this article does not believe me then go to [a website] and then you will now that I have been telling the truth. And if you dont believe me about how front radar antenae radar detectors can pick up signals from the rear through the 2 reasons that I have described to you then feel free to search the web and you will find the same info that I have listed above. I hope that this article has helped you in finding a excellent and reliable radar/laser detector, and if anyone of the readers' or observers is lost then give the BEL VECTOR 940 RADAR/LASER DETECTOR a try and I GUARENTEE that YOU will not be disappointed. You will be glad that you took time to read this insightful article about the BEL VECTOR 940 radar/laser detector.

The device performs exactly as indicated in the literature. All of the features function correctly and with excellent sensivity. In addition, the amazon.com performaance was excellent. I chose the free shipping option. I ordered Tuesday evening. The unit was shipped within 24 hours from a Kentucky warehouse. It was in the UPS Minneapolis office Saturday and was delivered Monday...six days after my order!

Bravo Beltronics and bravo amazon.com!