Powerful, but hard to use

I've used many low end detectors - Whistler, Cobra, Uniden, etc. For several years I used a Beltronics 906. About 2003 I noticed that it wasn't doing its job. I found myself in several situations where it was obvious that radar was being used and I got barely a beep from the 906. Something was very wrong.

I scoured the Internet doing research, trying to figure out what new radar was being used that my detector was failing to pick up. I came across one site in which an expert stated that any detector made prior to 2001 or 2002 was almost worthless today and would fail to detect modern radar. That described my detector!

I have been using the 965 for well more than a year now and I can safely say that it _works._ It's common for me to pick up a K or Ka radar signal a mile or more in advance. It is far superior than anything I've used before.

One of the new types of radar that police are now using is POP. Beltronics promotes this model as being able to detect POP. At first I thought this was why my old detector was failing so often. However, a lot of the hype about POP is just hyperbole. As for the 965, its detection of POP is, well, just about useless. My detector is set on City/No X detection and it frequently is set off by false POP alarms. Traffic lights seem to be the most common problem. After that it seems to be other cars with their own detectors. My advice on the POP, unless you live in a state where you know it's being used, is don't bother setting up your detector to monitor for it. The truth is, here in the US northeast, I've yet to detect a single POP radar used by the police.

So why bother with this model? Most importantly, independent tests have shown beltronics detectors to be some of the best in the market. Just check out the tests at at speedzones dot com. If you're looking at detectors in the 150 to 250 range this is definitely one to look at. It's a current model - along with the beltronics 995 - which makes it the best choice for current radar situations. Unless you like the bells and whistles on the 995, the 965 is the one you'll want. The 995 is overkill and likely has the exact same detection range as the 965.

If you're looking for a cheaper detector you might want to check out the Whistler 1783. It's a good cheaper substitute. However, I'm betting the 965 will give you a warning many seconds earlier than anything made by Whistler. Quite honestly, this is the best detector (in terms of reception) I've ever owned.

The 965 does have drawbacks. One, it's far too complicated to program. It's annoying, actually. I also have to wonder about reliability issues. In less than two years I had to have my detector sent back to be refurbished - that costs an automatic $85. I also found that it doesn't like being left in a cold car over and over. This is a definite drawback for people living in severe climates. Who wants to take their detector inside the house every evening?