Custom-Installed Remote Radar Detector Test

[See our reviews of the latest remote radar detectors, the Escort Passport Qi45 and Escort Passport 9500ci].

Ever wonder why so many high-end cars appear to lack radar detectors? Think about it; when's the last time you saw an S-class Mercedes, BMW M5, Audi A8 or some tricked-out Hummer H1 cruise past with a detector hanging from the windshield?

If you drive such a vehicle you probably already know the answer: many are packing custom-installed remote detectors. With radar and laser antennae mounted out of sight in the grille area and related electronics tucked away behind dash and trim panels, the better ones are almost completely invisible.

Keeping a detector out of sight does pay dividends. Some police officers take offense at detectors and will, as they say in the law enforcement industry, "hang some paper" on any speeder they stop who's using one. At the opposite end of the social spectrum there's another group that likes detectors a great deal. These folks work odd hours and generally bash-in door glass to acquire a detector, after which it's remarketed at a local flea market, sold to an acquaintance or traded for ready cash at a pawn shop.

Looking for something else? Go directly to: More of the latest radar detector reviews Action Video: How Radar Works Secrets to getting serious protection from your radar detector Avoid tickets: What you should know about police radar and lasers

Simply removing the detector from view doesn't protect it either. Knowledgeable observers look for a windshield bracket, dangling power cord, empty cigarette lighter socket, Velcro on the dash or even suction cup marks on an otherwise empty windshield. They're all tip-offs that there's a detector in the glovebox or under the seat.

A remote model can solve these issues. They range in price from $250 to well over $2,000, including installation, and fall into three classes. The least expensive contains two models, the Whistler 3450 ($299.95 suggested retail, typically street-priced around $250) and BEL Vector LR (suggested retail of $599.99, street-priced around $400). The latter comes with a $50 installation rebate and professional installation is recommended. Conversely, we feel the Whistler can be installed by anyone bright enough to drill a few holes and plug-in a couple of wires.

A second class of custom-installed models (don't try it at home, folks, trust us on this one) is comprised of the BEL Pro RX75 remote ($699.95 MSRP), Pro RX75 Plus ($1049) installation is extra for both; the Escort Passport SR7 ($1099.95 installed) and K40 1000 ($769 installed.) These are targeted at what are called 12-volt specialists, high-end retailers like Ultimate Electronics, Car Toys, Audio Express, Sound Track, Tweeter and similar stores whose technicians install the units.

The third and priciest class caters to purchasers of new models of BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes, Porsche and similar rides. These dealer installed-only models are the Escort Passport SRX ($1,599 installed, with optional external speaker) and K40 2000 ($1,300 installed, for the basic system; about $2,000 including options when configured similarly to the Escort. Dealers love these products because of their high markup; owners like being able to finance the added cost as part of the car loan.

We were most interested in testing the under-$1,500 classes where, not coincidentally, all the new models appear. And to help level the playing field, we performed two tests, grouping the candidates by price with $600 the cutoff point. (See our test of the under-$600 class of remote radar detectors for the details.)

The customer has no influence over the reliability and lifespan of a custom-installed remote. Those factors depend entirely upon the quality of the product and, equally important, the expertise of the installer. Since we don't make a living installing custom remotes, we solicited comments on that subject from someone who does. For a professional's opinions, see .

Squaring off in the custom installed-only category, we tested the Beltronics (BEL) Pro Remote Plus (Model RX75 Plus) and K40 2000P. Although we reviewed the Escort Passport SR7 in our 2003 Remote Test,, since it's a competitor we ran it through the performance tests as well and included them for comparison purposes. Listed alphabetically, here's how they fared.

BEL Pro Remote Plus (Model RX75 Plus) $1049 suggested retail, about $1350 installed).

This new detector marks BEL's entry into the rarefied atmosphere of the high-end custom-installed remote radar detector market. Dominated for years by K40 until Escort entered the fray in 1999, now BEL is making a bid for market share. Their strategy is simple enough: equip this flagship model with every conceivable feature and offer it for less money than the competition.

There's quite an array of hardware included: twin front and one rear laser detecting/jamming modules (blocking is BEL's preferred euphemism for laser jamming); a front radar antenna, miniature cockpit display/control module with integral speaker; remote muting switch, powered remote auxiliary speaker and a small, bicolor status/alert LED. The last item is for those who want zero visible evidence of the detector. Once installed anywhere within easy view, it supplants the display/control unit and supplies a green visual power-on indication as well as red alert warnings. Likewise, the thumbnail-size remote mute switch can be mounted in a convenient place--the center console is a favorite--and used to adjust audio volume as well as mute audio alerts. Tap it twice during a laser encounter and it shuts off the laser blockers. That's something we'd recommend since a savvy police officer could become awfully curious about why his dead-on laser beam isn't producing a target speed.

The compact control/display unit mounts in the cockpit and is dominated by a high-visibility red text display that's easily readable even under difficult lighting conditions. It automatically dims at night but three levels of manual adjustment are also provided. There are only three primary controls: the Power on/off button to the left, City and Volume/Mute buttons on the right. As on other BELs, volume is adjusted by pressing and holding the button, a more laborious and less desirable method than the simple rotary switches of the K40 and Escort. We generally use the remote mute button for volume adjustment instead.

The powered remote speaker is loud enough to be clearly heard at 85 mph in a top-down convertible. Mounted at the bottom of the driver's-side instrument panel at shin level, we measured its maximum sound level at an average of 103 dB(a). For reference' sake, that's roughly equivalent to standing next to a lawnmower running wide open. There's also an earphone jack that disables the speakers and lets passengers remain sleeping while still keeping the driver informed.

One unique feature we've waited decades for some manufacturer to offer is standard on this BEL and its RX75 sibling: backlit controls. Each circular button is illuminated by a soft red halo of light, making the RX75 the easiest radar detector to operate at night we've ever seen, probably the safest, too. We've no doubt that anyone who's been called upon to change a radar detector's settings at warp speed or on a winding mountain road in the dead of night will agree.

A second unique feature--at least if the remote speaker is installed--is voice alerts. The audio band ID is plenty distinct but for those who'd rather have a voice to articulate each threat, rather than have to glance at an LED or text display, this is the solution.

Pressing the City and Vol/Mute buttons at the same time enters programming mode, allowing an extensive degree of customization. Three types of visual mode status are offered: a fully spelled-out mode description (Highway for highway mode, for example), a truncated variant with a single lower-case letter--h, in this instance--and Voltage mode which adds to the latter a readout of vehicle voltage. We tested the latter against a calibrated digital voltmeter and found it dead-on. (It's also an eye-opener to watch the real-time voltage numbers take a dive when a megawatt sound system is cranked up or other power-intensive accessories add their load to the system.)

Three operating modes are provided. City mode dramatically lowers X-band radar sensitivity to reduce false alarms. In our field tests we noted the RX75 Plus' city-mode X-band detection range was cut by over half in comparison to the other units'. But at still nearly a mile, its only practical effect was to further limit urban falses, fine with us.

Highway mode provides maximum sensitivity on all three radar bands,X included. AutoScan lets the computer sample the driving environment and call the shots on sensitivity, reducing it when necessary to avoid falses caused by overly plentiful sources of non-radar microwave signals. In testing we used Highway to measure maximum sensitivity; in normal driving we leave it in AutoScan, untroubled by slight reductions in sensitivity, secure in the knowledge that this unit has range to burn.

Three Meter display modes are available. Standard depicts threats with an X, K or Ka for radar band ID and the word Laser for that type of encounter. Radar alerts are accompanied by a seven-segment bar graph that rises in proportion to signal strength. The second option is Threat, providing an X, K or Ka for radar band ID while showing signal strength numerically, 1 through 9. It will track multiple signals, displaying their frequency and relative signal strength. If you routinely drive a route where fixed microwave sources--door openers mostly--are encountered, this feature will weed out a police radar whose signal would otherwise be missed.

The third option, Tech mode, is strictly for techno nerds but it's the one we use. Radar frequency is displayed to the third decimal place. Driving on a metro Phoenix freeway recently, the RX75 Plus alerted to a Ka-band radar signal at 34.697. Bingo. We knew we were coming up on a deadly Stalker radar, the only model FCC-certified to operate at 34.7 Gigahertz. One mile ahead we passed an Arizona Highway Patrol cruiser lying in wait.

Information overkill? Hardly. If the display had read, say, 33.625, we'd have hit the mute switch and ignored it. That's because no U.S.-spec moving radar operates on that frequency--33.8, 34.7 and 35.5 GHz are the only approved frequencies for these radar. (A handful of U.S.-made photo radar (speed camera) units operates at 34.6 GHz.) Anything else is a harmonic likely generated by a badly shielded local oscillator in a passing radar detector. Being able to identify legitimate threats is a huge advantage in being able to react appropriately to an alert.

Other menu options are similar to the Escort remotes' and include three City modes that lower sensitivity or shut off X band entirely, useful in limiting false alarms due to the nearly complete disappearance of X-band radar in the U.S. Selectable band defeat allows shutting off one or all radar bands or laser, letting the user tailor the detector to suit local threats. Also provided is a fast power-up option that skips the self-test sequence and places the unit in ready mode instantly. If you're in and out of the vehicle constantly, not having to list to the litany of audio alerts upon every start-up is a blessing.

On the road, the RX75 Plus proved a pleasurable driving companion. It's the most resistant to false alarms of any remote we've seen--a trait shared with its RX75 sibling--and performance proved to be excellent as well. In fact, all three units were nearly dead equal in range on all three radar frequencies at the Straightaway/Hills site where they all detected the radar upon reaching a slight rise in the highway, telling us they have very similar sensitivity. This county highway, incidentally, is in the desert some 30 miles northwest of Phoenix and devoid of traffic. It's composed of a trio of nearly straight and level sections, each about three miles long, separated by plunging S-curves where the road drops down to cross the same river in three locations. The sections are not in a straight line, meaning the detectors, once they were more than 15,000 feet distant from the parked radar vehicle, were looking for an off-axis radar beam, making their task harder.

At the same site we elected to quantify exactly how much additional detection range is delivered by a rear radar antenna. The K40 2000P was the only model so equipped and to test it, we first tested each unit with front antenna only and then reversed direction. Now instead of slowly approaching the radar from our staging area some 35,000 feet distant, we began each run from a spot only 1,000 feet in front of the radar and drove away from the guns.

Once the alert had disappeared, we stopped and backed slowly toward the radar until a continuous (three-second minimum duration) alert was noted. The process was repeated three times for every unit, once for each radar frequency. Those numbers were recorded as Rear Radar Detection Range. It's worth noting that we couldn't have found a venue that would have made the front antenna's job of spotting radar coming from behind the car more difficult. At our featureless desert site there were no vehicles, structures or fences and precious few road signs or other reflective objects from which the microwaves would ricochet back into the antenna to produce an alert.

Not surprisingly, the K40 turned in the best numbers, followed by the BEL and Escort, respectively. On X band Highway it spotted the radar at 13,884 feet (BEL: 10,475 feet); on K band it was K40: 15,257, BEL: 5,374 and on Ka band it was K40: 14,957, BEL: 5,479. This would seem to make a compelling case for having a rear antenna, right? Sorry to disappoint, but we can guarantee you that it doesn't. Skeptical? See Radar From Behind: The Real Story for the truth on this subject.

All three radar detectors did well at the Curve Test site, a sharp downhill right-hand 50 mph curve with radar vehicle hunkered down in mid-curve and picking off targets as they hove into view at a point-blank 600 feet of range. The BEL showed the best range in X-band Highway and K band, narrowly trailed by the Escort SR7 and K40 2000P. On Ka band, the three detectors spotted the radar from an impressive 2,268 feet, 2,467 feet and 1,904 feet, respectively, allowing plenty of time for a brisk application of the brakes.

Against lasers the BEL was a standout performer, its twin laser jammers/detectors delivered an average field of view of 100 inches to each side of the vehicle. The Escort SR7's detect-only laser detectors ranked second with 76 inches and the single-receiver K40 managed a paltry 26 inches. Their performances against rear lasers were comparable. We've previously tested the laser jammers from all three manufacturers and found the BEL units highly effective.

The new BEL remote radar detector isn't perfect but it's a quantum step forward in utility, user-friendliness and overall sophistication. We liked its compelling blend of superior radar and laser performance, its ability to shrug off police laser attacks and the way its versatile alert and control systems can be configured to suit radically different driver tastes and mounting requirements. When viewed as a protection package, the BEL RX75 Plus clearly is destined to become a major player in the high-end remote radar detector market.

We struggled to devise an apples-to-apples comparison between the BEL and K40 models. It proved difficult. The K40 1000P retails for $769 installed and comes with front radar antenna but no laser detectors, laser jammers, remote speaker, control/display module or other hardware standard on the Beltronics (BEL) RX75 Plus. So we popped for the pricier K40 2000P dual-radar antenna model and added a pair of K40 DefuserPlus laser detector/jammers ($299.95 each, including installation) in a bid to achieve parity in features.

The high-end K40 2000P has a standard rear radar antenna that, K40 salesmen are quick to point out, is not available with the BEL. But otherwise our test units were as close in features as we could manage. And for those who can live without a rear radar antenna, we'd give the nod to the 1000P which, equipped with front radar plus front and rear laser, would total $1,469, almost dead equal to the BEL RX75 Plus.

The P in K40's model nomenclature stands for Pod, a 1.25-inch-long, 1.0-inch-wide black plastic ovoid that resembles a miniature computer mouse. There's a red LED on the front and piezo speaker on top. It's a remote audio/visual alert module; two are included with the K40 2000P kit to be used in lieu of the dash-mounted LEDs and piezo speakers included with the K40 2000 Undetectable kit. Other than the two types of status and alert systems and the presence of one or two radar antennae, there are no major differences between the K40 1000/2000 remote models.

Depending upon the vehicle, most installers mount the pods high on the A-pillar or at the bottom of the instrument cluster to keep them in the driver's line of sight. Even with its pods, once installed there's not a lot to look at. The only control is a rectangular module with concentric rotary switches to handle power on/off, audio volume and mode selection. It's designed to be panel-mounted in the dash area and only an expert would spot it for a detector. From the back of the module sprouts six wires of varying diameters that connect the various components.

The center position on the control module is Off; turning it counter-clockwise engages City mode and sends the unit through self-test, a brief series of chirps, tweets, buzzes, beeps and flashing red LEDs, after which the LEDs are extinguished. You'll have to take it on faith that the unit remains powered-up and ready for action; there's no status light provided for reassurance.

A radar signal detected in front will light off the red LED on the front pod and sound an audible alert. A radar signal from behind will likewise activate the rear pod. Signal strength is denoted by beep frequency and proved reasonably accurate in depicting the relative proximity of the radar source.

The K40 2000P has audible band identification for radar and lasers but the collection of chirps, tweets, buzzes, braps and beeps is so indistinct that after two full days of testing, we often were uncertain whether it was alerting to a Safeway door opener or a police radar gun. At a measured 85 decibels of sound level the pod is loud enough to be heard if mounted close by. In contrast, when the piezo speakers are concealed inside an A/C duct, the favored location, their output can easily be overwhelmed by a sound system or lowered convertible top.

We'd be more forgiving of the underachieving audio if visual band ID were supplied. But the single red LED suffices for all three radar frequencies, a major shortcoming in a $69 K-Mart Special radar detector, much less one this pricey.

K40 suggests that many of their customers are more concerned with retaining a gadget-free interior than in identifying the threat. If so, we'd venture that many either ignore most warnings or spend a great deal of time needlessly standing on the brakes in reaction to microwave signals that are of no consequence. The company offers a ticket rebate program, a unique feature and one in which we suspect many owners will find occasion to participate.

The 1000- and 2000-series K40 radar detectors automatically mute each alert, first issuing a full-volume alarm before reverting to a muted clicking sound. Those who prefer full-strength audio and manual control of muting are out of luck as neither is offered.

Items also absent include text display, auto dimming, alternate city modes, selectable band defeat, external speaker or earphone jack, programmable features and a host of other niceties found on competing models.

An abbreviated self-test feature would be welcomed; whenever mode is switched from city to highway the driver is treated to the full self-test sequence including the LED light show plus the complete repertoire of bird whistles. This is the only remote radar detector we've ever encountered that does this.

When we squared off against radar we found no gaps in the K40's performance envelope. In X-band Highway mode and against K- and Ka-band radar its detection range was within feet of that of the BEL RX75 Plus and Escort SR7. It had only five feet less X-band City range than the top-ranked Escort SR7 and almost double that of the BEL Pro RX65.

Not surprisingly, the K40's rear radar antenna added significantly to its detection range of radar coming from behind, about three times that of the BEL and Escort on K and Ka bands and an extra 3,000-odd feet on X band Highway. But while that may be good for bragging rights, the almost incalculably tiny threat posed by radar from behind largely makes this a non-issue on detectors with this much sensitivity.

The 2000P's only performance shortcoming is in laser detection and jamming. The DefuserPlus receiver/jammer module mounts above the license plate and can be defeated if the laser is aimed higher, toward a headlight or elsewhere away from the plate. This applies to both receiver and jammer. The former had the least field of view of the bunch and in our last jammer test it was outwitted by both of the latest laser guns.

We're encouraged that the 2000 platform has been significantly improved since our last remote test to include a K40 entry. False alarms have sharply decreased in comparison to its forebear and it now has stellar radar sensitivity as well. But the market has changed during the meantime and when compared to its sophisticated new competition, the K40's abbreviated list of features, weak laser performance and hefty price tag suggest that a buyer's market for high-end remote detectors is at hand.

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