Low Priced Remote Test

There aren't too many familiar faces in the low-priced segment of the remote market. Only two models occupy that niche, the BEL Vector Remote (Model 975R) and Whistler 3450. Their forebears appeared some time ago and the production tooling probably was fully amortized well before Bill Clinton left office.

But while their control/display units and radar and laser antenna housings may look familiar, their electronics have been upgraded, new features offered and performance is up as well.

Mindful that the radar detector market is fiercely price-driven, it would be unfair to consider these two as direct competitors. The Whistler Pro 3450 occupies a unique niche in remote models for two key reasons: it's the least expensive available and many customers--assuming they can drill some holes and have enough knowledge to tell a 12-volt wire from a negative ground--will be able to install it themselves. The BEL Vector Remote radar detector's list price is two C-notes higher although it includes a $50 installation rebate. The process of installing it isn't notably more involved then with the Whistler, yet there's a reason why the installation manual cautions against amateur attempts: more wires to connect. But we'll get to that later.

We tested both units at our desert proving grounds northwest of Phoenix. Listed alphabetically, here's what we found. (For more on the subject, see How We Test Detectors.)

BEL Vector Remote ($599.95 suggested retail, about $425 street price)

This BEL remote (model 975R) is a dead ringer for its predecessor but uses a new electronic platform promising better performance and extra features. Its small control/display module is suitable for surface mounting or, using the supplied faceplate, it can also be built-in to the dash.

The unit is operated with four front-mounted switches, all quite small and closely spaced, making them hard to find at night, by touch alone or while you're distracted, like when you're cornering on the door handles. Same as the Whistler remote, it's clear that the 975R is intended for under-dash or in-dash installation, the best way to prevent its pale green and amber status and mode LEDs from being washed out by sunlight.

The front-mounted speaker produces audio alerts at 96 dbA of volume, the loudest of any remote we've tested other than those equipped with auxiliary speakers. The alerts themselves were less distinctive than the Whistler 3450's but the more critical K- and Ka- band alerts were easy to differentiate from the others. To speed the learning process the 975R now has tutorial mode and will cycle through its repertoire of audio/visual alerts on command.

For extra-noisy cockpits an optional voice module ($79.95) can be added, supplying a real human voice to call out radar and laser alerts.

As before, the BEL remote comes with a good array of features: auto mute, a truncated power-up self-test sequence, variable display brightness and memory for preferred user settings. The BEL monitors its own health and issues alerts when sensing low voltage or a disconnected antenna.

New is a feature called City X/K/Ka that, once engaged, raises the signal strength threshold at which audible alerts are given. Visual alerts are unaffected. The net effect is to reduce the number of false alarms, particularly in town, to the lowest level we've ever seen--or, more accurately, heard--from this series of BEL remotes.

User-selectable features include auto mute on/off, SWS (safety radar) on/off and selectable band defeat. The latter permits the disabling of X or K radar bands for drivers who live in areas where one or another of those frequencies isn't used. Also standard is something called Ka Narrow Band. With this the user can instruct the detector to listen for one or as many all five of the most widely used Ka-band frequencies: 33.8, 34.36, 34.4, 34.7 and 35.5 Gigahertz. Four of these are used by U.S.-spec radar models that, as a group, constitute the fastest-growing threat on the road today. The 34.36 GHz frequency is only used by the Swiss-made Multanova 6-series photo radar (speed camera)of which there are perhaps 30 in service in the U.S. These are very tough to detect but we've tested a few models that do it quite well.

This clever feature permits a savvy American driver to engage the U.S of A's four common Ka frequencies and let the detector ignore all other Ka-band signals. Those will often be harmonics, multiples of a lower frequency and most often generated by a badly shielded local oscillator in a passing radar detector. Like City X/K/Ka, it helps the BEL keep quiet except in the presence of real threats, a major advantage in today's microwave-saturated driving environment. In the default setting, Superwide Ka, the unit operates in the normal detection mode covering the entire 2.6-GHz-wide Ka-band spectrum.

When we installed the 975R in our test car we found the process generally straightforward. The radar antenna mounted to its large metal L-bracket behind the grille and routing the wire through the firewall was easily accomplished after we drilled a 7/16-inch hole. We mounted the control/display module under the left side of the dash using double-sided tape, where it remained out of the sun and nearly invisible. The only potentially difficult task for the inexperienced was having to insert a total of seven tiny wire connectors into the pair of plastic plugs that route power, ground, laser module and radar antenna into the back of the control/display unit. The wires are color-coded and the plugs are indexed to assist the brain-dead in keeping everything in order, but some care and a modicum of experience are required.

Courtesy of its new circuitry and software, the Vector LR Remote exhibited excellent radar performance--so close to that of the high-dollar custom-install units we were also testing that we wondered if BEL is shooting themselves in the foot by continuing to sell this model alongside the new RX75. But after driving with them back to back, it was clear that the 975R, despite the stellar performance, can't begin to offer the level of sophistication and number of features--laser jammers and voice alerts, for instance--available in the RX75. Think of it as a Dodge SRT-4 econobox super sedan: adequately equipped, very high performance for the money and without a lot of frills.

Its laser detection field of view has improved from years past as well. We're unsure if a software tweak is partly to be credited or if it was entirely due to our using a Honda CRX as a target car, a last-minute change of plans. On this shoebox-size vehicle, even with the laser module suction cup-mounted on the windshield next to the rear view mirror, it spotted the license plate-aimed laser beam from an average of 70 inches to each side. In past tests using larger vehicles--greater distance between windshield header and front plate area--the little module was much less adept in ferreting out lasers. There is, however, a second laser module for the backlight. And since laser attacks from the rear are both extremely rare and generally impossible to out-brake, we'd be tempted to mount both modules in front, one at each corner of the A-pillars near the dash. BEL may not approve, but we suspect it would expand the laser field of view substantially.

In all, we found the revitalized Bel Vector a very civilized electronic companion with class-leading radar sensitivity, improved laser-detecting capability and enough features to make it an attractive alternative for those shopping for a remote without a high price tag.

Whistler 3450 ($329.95 suggested retail, about $270 street price)

Looking for something else? Go directly to:

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The Whistler returns for another year of duty with a new model name, Pro 3450. It's identical in appearance save for its blue text display but has more features and subtle improvements. Its virtues remain intact and some significant software tweaks are claimed to boost performance. As before, its nine programmable options allow it to be extensively customized to the user's preferences. Three alternate sets of audio tones are available, for example. Since not all ears hear sounds the same way, by offering tones of different frequencies, they can be tailored to the individual's needs. A tutorial mode also helps new users correlate audio alerts to radar band or laser.

Also standard are three City modes. City operates in a conventional fashion, raising the threshold at which an X-band alert is sounded and helping to limit urban falses, City 1 decreases X-band sensitivity to further reduce falsing and City 2 disables that band completely.

The 3450 has a built-in voltmeter, showing your vehicle's electrical output with a digital readout, helping to spot a failing alternator or battery before things get desperate. With the supplied temperature sensor mounted in the grille area, it also shows outside temperature in either Centigrade or Fahrenheit and as the freezing point nears, a special alert sounds.

The Whistler 3450 is the only remote in its price class to offer voice alerts. This can be of more than passing interest to many users since a key rationale for buying a remote in the first place is the ability to conceal it. But once artfully tucked away in the cockpit, the display may be difficult to see without taking your eyes off the road. With the optional Voice Module plugged-in ($79.95 suggested retail), you get a powerful remote speaker that supplies a real human voice to identify threats, announce SWS (safety radar) messages and confirm feature selections. This frees the driver from having to scan the display for information and remain focused on the task of driving instead, a significant advantage.

The Pro 3450, like its predecessor, has Whistler's unique Stay Alert feature. A programmable option, it periodically delivers an audible and visual alert and the driver must respond by pressing a button within five seconds. Those slow on the draw will receive the message Get Rest accompanied by an ear-splitting alarm.

A feature we've not seen elsewhere is the 3450's Night and Truck programming options. These differ from Option Select Mode which lets the user pick and choose from among nine menu options. Instead, each of these programmed options is a package deal. Choose Night Mode and you get audio level set to 4, auto mute, dark mode, highway mode, safety radar On, VG2 detection Off, self-test Off and voice Off. With Truck Mode, the package is programmed with audio level 4, VG2 On, self-test Off, highway mode, safety radar On and voice Off.



Among other reasons, commercial truck drivers in particular will like this feature since a few states have begun installing VG-2 radar detector-detectors at weight scales to spot illicit detectors. A trucker driving a Mayflower 18-wheeler loaded with one of our staff member's household goods lamented that he'd driven into an Iowa weight station without remembering to engage his detector's VG-2 protection. His detector was spotted and he was fined $60; the offense was also noted on his record.

One of Whistler's traditional strengths is the quality of their audio alerts and the 3450's were no exception, superior to the BEL's and easily best-in-class. And a tutorial mode cycles through the full array of audio and visual alerts to help you learn them.

One significant new feature is the addition of POP-mode detection on both K and Ka bands, something the BEL lacks. While the MPH BEE III with POP-mode radar is a pretty scarce phenomenon, it only takes one encounter with it to seriously complicate your day.

Signal strength is shown on the large blue text display via alphanumeric characters, along with a five-segment bar graph. Like the BEL, it's intended for in-dash or under-dash mounting where the unit where is shielded from direct sunlight. The advantage of the new blue text display is its enhanced ability to deliver information. Instead of LEDs to identify the threat, here it's literally spelled out for you. It can also display over 60 SWS warnings.

Installing the 3450 was a hassle-free experience. The 20-page installation manual is the most comprehensive we've seen, even going so far as to identify each piece of hardware in the kit both visually and in text. To allow the widest possible number of mounting options, the radar antenna bracket comes drilled with so many holes it appears to have taken a blast from a 12-gauge loaded with #6 shot. In the event, we were able to attach the antenna by drilling but two holes in the vehicle radiator support, finding a variety of others in the bracket that allowed proper orientation. And we also found favor with Whistler's method of attaching component wires to the control/display unit with mini-plugs. Granted, they're not as resistant to getting yanked loose as are the BEL's, but they take a fraction of the time to install, a fair tradeoff.

One other item that we liked is the method used to attach the radar antenna to its cable. A weatherproof connector at the end of the cable simply screws-on to the back of the antenna, allowing removal from the bracket for repair or replacement. The outside temperature wire and sensor can remain in place. The BEL, on the other hand, has a six-foot length of heavy wire permanently attached to the antenna and capped with a large DIN connector, making it necessary to strip the wiring from the front of the vehicle to remove the antenna. Sloppy installers won't care but those who've conscientiously routed the wires behind the grille and through the engine compartment, covered it with protective plastic wire loom and carefully wire-tied it all together certainly will notice the difference.

The promised performance enhancements were evident when we measured the Whistler's radar detection range. At the Straightaway/Hills test site, in X-band Highway it was tied with the BEL and was within nine percent of the BEL's range on K band. In X-band City mode its 27,648-foot range far eclipsed the BEL's 10,135 feet. On Ka band it was Whistler: 14,635 feet, BEL: 27,950.

At the fiendishly difficult Curve Test site it trailed the BEL by about 1,000 feet on X and K bands and about half again that much on Ka band, a very creditable performance. And it was quiet in town, particularly when placed in City 2 mode to silence the nuisance of automatic door openers.



When we squared off against the laser, its windshield-mounted module was unable to detect the laser's narrow beam at our standard 1,000-foot target range. So we relocated the module closer to the dash and it came alive, delivering an impressive 81-inch average of field of view, no doubt the payoff of the module's panoramic array of three detector diodes.


The Whistler 3450 is a thoroughly refined, comprehensively equipped detector with some enticing, unique features, the very cool blue text display among them. With its well-rounded performance and attractive price-to-value ratio, it's really in a class by itself. Which, from Whistler's perspective, is probably the point of the whole exercise.
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