A 980/970 alternative for the NAME...
Written: Aug 16 '01
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Pros: Great Range; Loud Volume; Clear Text; Voice
Cons: Not a 970/980-No Band Deletion
The Bottom Line: Highly Recommended if your pocket is short and Value is need. Performance is Strong and display is above par for previous unit 855STi.
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| A-RDR-GUY's Full Review: Beltronics BEL 890 Radar Detector |
Beltronics for the past years has produced Second rate detectors but at reasonable prices. Fighting for first Honors in the Detector Market, Beltronics has put out many models to coupe with changes in the Police Traffic Enforcement Realm.
In the early 90s', Beltronics had put out a 966ST. This unit provided Good X band, Strong K band, put fair Ka Photo protection. At this time 34.7GHz Radar guns were only 5-10% of the market. Because Ka band is becoming a feared tool for Police, Beltronics produced the 645STi/745STi. Both unit provided fair X band, Strong K and Ka band performance but only adequate Photo Radar.
Next came the 845STi/850STi/855STi, these units cleaned up their act with providing Strong X,K, and Ka performance. The units too provide good Photo radar performance. This series of detectors came with different badges for different locations. The Vector STi,(aka 855STi) was an exclusive unit sold at Circuit City. The 855STi-E was for the Europe market with fine tuned Software. The Vector STi AU/NZ and Vector STi EURO are units that are capable of selectable Frequency disability. X band is not used in England, Australia, and New Zealand.
Now for the Beltronics 890, this unit is a 855STi unit with a upgraded Display, Software Update, and better performance. This unit is a highly step-up from the Bel 880 and below the Bel 950, but barely.
The Bel 890 offers:
-Voice/Alerts Band ID
-Clear Bright Red Text Display
-Vg-2 Immunity (Shadow Technology I)
-SWS Voice/Alerts
-Laser Alert
-Ultra Low Noise Oscillator
-DIM/Dark Setting
-3 Selectable Features
-Visor/Windshield mount
-The Vg-2 Immunity is only for the Vg-2 Interceptor RDD. The New Australia made Stalcar RDD and the New Spectre RDD (aka Stalcar) can detect the Shadow Tech I.
-The Display is Excellent during daytime use. During night driving the Display in DIM mode is to bright, and easy for an officer or other drivers to see. The Dark mode displays a small H on the left side of the display.
-The 890 has 3 Selectable Driver features. 1) SWS on/off, 2) SWS Voice On/Off, 3) Radar/Laser Voice On/Off.
-The 890 comes with a Visor and Windshield. mounts. The Visor mount is Great if you have a fairly thick visor for adequate holding. If not the unit will slide around or offer at hard braking. The Windshield mount is a positive over other Detector Maker Windshield mounts. You can position the Vertical or Horizontal depending on windshield design. There is a difficulty, you have to use a screwdriver for tighting. Plus, if you live in Michigan, you have to use the Visor Mount. By law you can not have anything (Factory Mirror Only) hanging from the Windshield.
For around $165-190, the Bel 890 provide one of the Best protection and Value than any other Detector in it class. They are the Escort 7500, Whistler 1670-5/1770/80/85/90, Cobra XR-1010, and Uniden 980.
The Ranging Expected in Ideal Conditions:
X band- 0.6 mil city/ 1.1+ highway
K band- 0.45 mil-.7 city/ 0.7-2.5 beat highway
Ka band- 0.35 mil-.85 city/ 0.55-2.0 Best highway
There are Rules that are Critical in using a Detector for Best results.
Only the Top 4 US detectors can out perform the 890. They are the Beltronics 970 and 980, Escort 8500, and Valentine 1.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
A-RDR-GUY
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Eric D
Location: Southeastern, Virginia
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 33 members
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