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Radar Detector Range

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In this review:
  1. Cheap Radar Detectors, Best Radar Detector
  2. Radar Detector Bands
  3. Radar Detector Range
  4. Radar Detector Mounts
  5. Radar Detectors Reviews
  6. Discount Radar Detectors Features Comparison Table
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Radar Detectors Features (continued)

Cheap Radar Detector Range.

Range is everything when it comes to radar detectors because a device that doesn't pick up a radar gun soon enough means you won't have time to slow down before getting nabbed.
A good formula for determining if the radar detector range is adequate is to take the specified capture area and multiply by six. As Radar Busters notes, the farthest away a radar gun can spot an approaching car is about 1/4 of a mile, or 1,320 feet; multiply by six and you get 7,920 feet, or just about 1.5 miles. This is the average distance at which a good cheap radar detector should be able to pick up radar ahead, although hills and slopes can affect the radar detector's range. Each model states its average range in the manual, but most manufacturers don't advertise this. You can check out radar detector range test sites on the Web to see what experts are finding when testing the models in the field.

By way of example, Radar Test clocked our two choices for best cheap radar detectors, the Beltronics Vector 955 (starting at $139, Amazon) and Whistler XTR 695SE (starting at $152, Amazon), at 28,000 feet and just under 25,000 feet, respectively, for X-, K- and KA-band frequencies (see discussion of bands below). The same site also clocked the Cobra XRS 9955, one of our picks for good cheap radar detector, at just under 25,000 feet; the Cobra XRS 9945 (starting at $122, Amazon), the other good cheap radar detector on our list, averages about 30,000 feet for the K and KA bands, although the older X band is detected only at about 10,000 feet. An older Beltronics model, the Vector 940 (starting at $140, Amazon) has been noted to pick up signals at about 10,000 feet, while the Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C435 (starting at $125, Amazon) has produced similar results.

Radar Detectors Alerts.

If you can't see or hear the alerts from a radar detector, then it's not very effective. All the detectors on our list come with some sort of audio alert, be it a loud beep or a voice signal. Some cheap radar detectors, like the Beltronics Vector 955, Whistler XTR-695SE, and Cobra XRS 9955, have a voice-activated feature. Others, like the Beltronics V940 and Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C435, feature just tone (beep) recognition. Some cheap radar detectors also feature an audio output that allows users who are riding motorcycles or driving convertibles to plug the device into their speaker systems. The Whistler XTR-695SE provides this capability.

Radar detectors also use their display to alert drivers. Each of the cheap radar detectors on our list features an LCD screen that displays the type of alert it's meant to pick up. But a safety heads-up here: you shouldn't be keeping an eye on your detector when driving, which is why audio alerts are so critical.

Review continues below

by Maralyn Edid (Google+ Profile)

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Filed in: Autos, Cars, Radar Detectors

Best Cheap Radar Detectors

Beltronics Vector 955

 Read why »
Where to buy

Whistler XTR-695SE

 Read why »
Where to buy

Good Cheap Radar Detectors

Cobra XRS 9955

 Read why »
Where to buy

Cobra XRS 9945

 Read why »
Where to buy
 
 
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Don't Bother Cheap Radar Detectors

Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C435

The RMR-C435 is affordable and features a lot of extras, like VG-2 and VG-3 Immunity that shield the detector from police devices designed to spot the detector, and a laser scrambler. Many users insist the detector doesn't work, that it has problems with the X, K, and KA bands and the jamming and scrambling features don't do their jobs. Read more »

 
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