scooby whip

Soon to become a proud scooby owner, me thinks precautions needs to be taken. Can anyone recommend a radar detector that doesnt cost a fortune and actually works?

Is it worth getting one? How much advance warning of GATSCO etc do they give??

Moles Dad

It is cheaper if you drill a 10mm hole in your accelerator pedal and fit a 30mm bolt with a lock nut to allow only half throttle!!

Thats what we did when we got the scoob.

scooby whip

Could do, at least it would give those 3 series beemers a chance to keep up....

Postman Pat

My experiences with detectors isn't great. I sourced 2 in the States. The first one was a Cobra ESD 6200 with all band coverage and Laser supposedly. It's not worth a Castlemaine. It tells you all about the radar trap after you have been nabbed. The second one I got was a Bell Vector (95 I think) for my brother-in-law. It's a bit better it actually warns of Gatso's before you fly through them but you better be good with the old brake pedal.
I have no experience other than these but I believe the Valentine One is probably the best going on magazine reviews from a while back (mind you I think its pricey).

Personally I never speed on roads I don't know where the Gatso's or likely traps are anymore and to be honest I don't rip the a**e out of the limit anyway. (you tend to get carried away in the scoob if you're having a blast and sit at speeds in excess of 120 on B class roads)

Jza

"Works and doesnt cost too much"

Ahem, sorry mate, the two dont go together!!! Cheap ones are crap!!!

Get a Bel 550 Euro (£330 ish)

Works all the time

Jza

Jolly Green Monster 2

I have a Bell 990i which works well.. you get about 10second warning for gatso and you can turn off frequencies that are used for other stuff if you like etc.. I think the american frequencies are different hence they are no so good.
I had an old American one beofre this one and it only ever worked on Laser with no warning over here.

I think it has been superceeded by the 550.


Check the For Sale section as they come up from time to time, whcih is where I got mine.. but they go very quickly, you'll have to check daily.

Chris L

Bel 550 Euro - the key is in the name. Go for European specific model rather than (cheaper) US imports that don't always work...

You do get what you pay for and the Bel is the way to go. The amount of warning you get depends on a number of factors, a few of these would be:

- type of road - straight or bendy
- position of detector in car - ideally as high up the windscreen as you are comfortable with.

The Bel gives very few false alarms and as a guide will pick up one camera on the A414 near Harlow before it is even in sight! Typical warning is going to be between 50 and 200 ft depending on your speed.

Chris

AliWrx

You could also try the Morpheius Geodsey box which isn't a detector as such but knows exactly where all the cameras are in the country, including the SPECS digital ones that we have here in nottingham. I used to have a Snooper and that just beeped all the time, particularly fond of supermarkets it was. The Morphieus box will give you a mile warning and is acurate to about 10 meters. That should give you ample time to slow down and plugs in to you phone line for the latest updates on new camera sites.
Cheers Ali

BOOT

Snooper 715, works well with gatso and even detects the laser systems that are used in the unmarked white vans .

Moles Dad

scooby whip, sorry about the silly reply...I had a drink last night!

We use a Snooper SD815 which is "all band" plus Ku, K, and infra red all on European frequencies.

Often we get good range, sometimes its a bit "near the mark", but what it does do is make you more AWARE of what is going on with all the things that are "pointing" at you.

Statistics now prove that drivers using such devices are "X" times less likely to be involved with a speed related accident...phew! lets hope it stays that way.

Let me know if you have any more questions,

Cheers, MD.

msp1

Recently bought a Snooper S5. First impressions are OK. Defo picks up Gatso's about 200yds before you hit them. Downside are false alarms. Even though you can disarm certain bands, out of town stores must have cameras on K band, the same band as gatso's. Haven't tested it on the M/way yet, however I'm going to recommend it as odds are it'll help you keep your license clean/cleaner.

scooby whip

Thanks for advice guys..so is to be a Bel 550 or a snooper thingy??

Decisions decisions....

GPS type one sounds reliable but no good for picking up hand held guns which is where I have been caught out in the past...it looks like it needs to be an actual radar detector or one type or another...

paulwadams_my99

laser jammer, gps and radar detector. All of them if poss money prevailing of course.

NITO

I had the Snooper SD815 and it was the biggest waste of space imho...plenty of warning for traffic lights though.

After wasting £250 odd on this I then plumped for the valentine one...never looked back since it works brilliantly, it even tells you how many cameras there are...useful if you are on a motorway gantry as you know whether it's picking up the cameras on your lane or on the other side!! It also has direction indicators to tell you where it is coming from as well as signal strength, and it's a full 360 deg protectors. It may cost twice as much as the snooper but in my experience its ten times better! It gives you enough warning to slow down and I trust it 100%

Nito

AliWrx

I agree with Nito the snoopers are next to useless, i even got caught by a cop with a laser gun whilst using it. The problem with laser detection is that it relies on the laser beams being refracted off the traffic in front of you who will inevitably get caught. If you are first in the line of traffic then forget it as all the detector will tell you is that you have been been got! To late then.

Blu-Scooby

Get yourself a BELL 550. I have a Bell 990 and it works really well. Picks up loads of "radar type door openers etc" but every Gatso that is live. (You would be surprised how many are'nt!!!. I usually get a reasonable warning, ie: 200-300 yards minimum. Better if more open camera site.

Ps our Kid has just bought a 550 and he says similar to above.

mattski2

and I happen to know where there is a 550 going cheap