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Bel Euro 550 Radar/Laser Detector.
Bel Euro 550 in Motorway Mode
The 990i was the "dogs dangly bits", it's performance was quite simply "stunning" as a replacement to the 990 the Euro 550 had its work cut out, can it set a new standard?
So why the new model, if the 990i was so good, well Bel and Target wanted a unit that was made for Europe not an American unit sold in the Europe.
The reasons behind this is that Gatso Cameras are harder to pick up and false alarms are much worse over here. We use bands the US don't and they use ones we don't so it was logical to make the units more sensitive to our bands.
Target have done the main modifications on this unit to meet the special requirement's for Europe.
What's New?
It now has a choice of 6 languages for the text messages. Detection of radar signals in 12 Europeans countries and North America by a simple country select feature. Better user menu's, and a much better user manual. The display now says "Motorway" rather than "Highway"
Countries covered are: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Denmark, Poland and North America.
They are easily set by holding down the CTY Button, you then get the list of countries scroll through and you let go on the country you want, when this is done all the frequencies needed are turned on and the rest are left off.
This makes life much easier, you no longer need to know what the country you are in uses, Bel have taken the hard work out of it.
You can also turn the frequencies on and off as you want.
The 550 is a 990i in every way, just re-badged and with better user menu's. It performs as well as the 990i, in fact my unit is picking up a touch quicker than the 990. I ran a test with them both working on my screen and the Euro 550 was almost always ahead on pick up down my local Gatso ally.
New technology has been added to reduce the likelihood of a false alarm such as GSM De-sensing Technology and suppression filters, they work well, I used to have to turn off the 990i when I was on the phone, the Euro 550 does not suffer the same problem. It has made a big difference as well, its so quiet you almost forget its there.
The audio is still very clear and loud. The display is easy to read and bright enough to deal with the sun on it. It sits on its suckers and bracket well with little vibration.When you approach a Gatso it goes from saying "Motorway" in the display to giving the frequency of the Gatso with a beep then it turns into a field strength meter a male voice tells you which band it has detected then still making the beeps which speed up as you approach the Gatso.
Frequency mode. (990i Images but its the same)
Field Strength mode. (990i Images but its the same)
Testing Times...
| Approaching back of Gatso. Range in feet (metres) |
Other detectors in this test for comparison as the distances can vary from test to test.
Please note: Detection range will vary depending on mounting position and type of car and wind screen. We suggest you try different positions in you vehicle to maximise range. If you are approaching the face of a gatso you can expect ranges of 3x what is shown above in most cases. Speed v Distance covered. |
The Laser gun was used in two ways, the first test was directly at the car with the detector in it, although the detector worked and was instant on alarm, if the officer used the first reading you were in trouble. However they often take a few readings so you may have a chance to slow. The second test was to have two cars in front and the operator target the first car and see if there was enough scatter for the third car to get an alarm, it was not a problem for the Bel we had an alarm in all three runs.
In our opinion you could get a warning or you could get nicked when it come to the Laser alert mode.
False alarms are low and more than acceptable.
Can we recommend it, YES, we can, Its a worthy 990i replacement.
Its a class leader! Its simply Brilliant! Worth every penny!
It sets an even higher standard for radar detector quality and performance than the 990i
| What do we like. | What don't we like. |
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Accessories (included)
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Operating Temperatures: (-20 to +70 degrees C) Power Supply Requirements: 9.6 to 16.0 volt range, 250mA. Maximum Dimensions: 123mm x 77mm x 35mm. |
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the copyright material of the The UK SpeedTrap Guide and Steven J Warren.
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