Beltronics 950 User manual

BEL 980 &
BEL 950
RADAR •LASER •SAFETY DETECTORS
Operating instructions for models 980 & 950
Advanced PROTECTION System
TM
with Shadow Technology®
®®®®
DIGITAL PLL SYNTHESIZED OSCILLATOR
TM


introduction
Thank you for purchasing abel 980 or bel 950
Radar/Laser/Safetydetectorwith theAdvanced Protection System™
and Shadow Technology®II.bel 980 and bel 950 build on the
company’s long history of technology firsts withadvancements
that usher in a new era in Radar/Laser/Safety Detection.
Remember,owning a Radardetectordoesnotgiveyou alicenseto
speed.Alerts fromaRadardetectorserveasaneffectivereminderto
checkyourspeed.LawsvarythroughoutNorthAmericagoverningthe
useof aRadardetector.It isyourresponsibilitytofollowtheselaws.
software upgradable – an industry first
Yourbel unitcontainstechnologywhichprovidesthe
highestcapabilitytobereprogrammedas thethreat of newPolice
traffic Radarmonitoringtechnologiesemerge.Pleaseensure that
youpromptlymailintheenclosedConsumerInformation card.
Thiswillensureyouarenotifiedaboutnew,approvedtraffic
monitoring technologies and will be provided details of service cost
andwhere tosend yourunitforsoftware upgrade.
shadow technology® ii
bel 980 andbel 950 contain Shadow Technology® IImakingthem
undetectableto the Interceptor vg-2or any otherRadarDetector
Detector(rdd).OnlyShadowTechnology®II has beenconsistently
proven undetectableto the vg-2.
selectable features
Thesefeatures maybe selecteddependinguponyourdriving
environment.(See page 9 for the operation of Selectable Features.)
CityXorCityAll(availableonbel980 only)
X/K/KaBandon or off (available onbel980only)
Auto-Muteon or off
Radar/LaserDigitalVoicePromptsor“tones”
SafetyWarningSystem®on or off
SafetyWarningSystem®withDigitalVoiceon or off
Audio/Visual Scroll Rate(fast or slow)



table of contents
Profile of Features l page 4
Description of Features
l page 5
Power-UpTestSequence/Start-upMode l page 5
Tutorial Mode l page 6
SetandForgetMemory l page 6
ResettoFactorySettings l page 7
Voltage Warning l page 7
drk (Bright/Dim/Dark)Button l page 7
aud (Auto-Mute/Volume Control)Button l page 7
cty(City/Highway)Button l page 8
Selectable Features
l page 9
EnteringSelectableFeaturesMode l page 11
Installation
l page 11
GeneralGuidelines l page 11
Understanding Radar,Laser and sws™
l page 14
Interpretation of Alerts
l page 15
RadarAlerts l page 15
Instant-On/PulsedRadarAlert l page 18
TypicalFalseAlert (Radar) l page 18
LaserAlerts l page 18
SafetyWarningSystem®(sws™)Alerts l page 19
PerformanceVerification
l page 
ConditionsThatAffectRadarAlerts l page 
ConditionsThatAffectLaserAlerts l page 21
Troubleshooting
l page 21
ConsumerWarranty
l page 22
Service
l page 23
Warranty Service l page 23
Post-Warranty Service l page 23
Accessories
l page 23


PWR DRK AUD CTY
BEL980
K a 9
Advanced Protection System
with Shadow Technology II
7
24
1
9
6
35
8
profile of features
1. pwr (Power/Start-Up Mode) Button: pressing and holding
pwr willturntheuniton.Pressthepwr a second time to
scrollthroughthe threestart-upmodeoptions:NORMAL,
MODS (Modifications),Q-START (QuickStart) plus
TUTORIAL MODE.
2Text Message Display:communicatesallmode selections
(i.e.DIM,DARK,CITY,HIGHWAY andAUTOMUTE)and
confirmsRadarbandandsignal strength,presenceof Laser
andsws™messagesreceived.
3. drk (Bright/Dim/Dark) Button: provides bright,dark and
fullyadjustabledimsettingsof theTextDisplay fordiscreet
nighttravel.Audioalertsare notaffected.
4. aud (Auto-Mute/Volume Control) Button: provides manual
mutingof allRadarandsws™alerts.Pressingandholdingthe
aud button will changetheaudiolevel.
5. cty (City/Highway) Button: choosebetweenHighway mode
orfor urban/suburbantravel,City X orCityAllmodes.
6. Antenna Opening: Radarandsws™signalsare receivedby
a patented diecastantennawithintegratedtransition to
microstripmixer.

7. Laser Optical Sensors: collectLaser signalsfrom infrontand
behind.
8. Audio Alert Speaker: allaudiblealertsand DigitalVoice
Messages are emitted from this location.
9. Power Jack: usingthestraight orcoiled cord,
bel980or bel 950 operatein any vehiclewitha13.8 volt dc
negativegroundsystem(10.5volt to 16voltrange).
Note:Model980isthesameasModel950except forthe
additionof thesefeatures:SignalStrengthDigit,CityAllMode,
X/K/Ka BandOn/Off,9audio level settings,TravelCase,
4'straight powercordand 2 yearwarranty.
description of features
Power-Up Test Sequence/Start-up Mode
Eachtimeyourdetectoristurnedon,bel980 or bel950
willperformapower-uptestsequencebasedupontheStart-Up
modeselected.TherearethreeStart-Upmodesof operation
plusaTutorialmode.Releasethepwrbuttonatyourchosen
selection.
Note—Pressing pwr atanytimeduringstart-upwill bypass
thesequence.
NORMAL (Factorypre-setMode)
PresentsAudioand TextMessagesforLaser,Ka,K,X and
SafetyWarningSystem®(sws™). Afterthissequence,the
status of Selectable Features isdisplayed:
“CITY X”or “CITYALL”; “X/K/KA o n /o f f ”;“Amu e
“Amu e o ff
”; “R/LVo i c e ,“R/L o n e ”;“SWS o n ”,
“SWS o f f ”; “SWSv o i c e ”, “SWS one”; “SCROLfa s ”,
“SCROLslow”.Unitis nowready foroperation.
Note:CityX,CityAllandX/K/KaOn/offdonotappearonmodel950
MODS (ModificationsMode)
PresentsAudioandTextMessagesforLaser,Ka,K,XandSafety
WarningSystem®(sws™),followedbythepresentationofSelectable
Featuresaschosenbytheuser.Unitisreadyforoperation.

on ,


Q-START (Quick-StartMode)
Unitwillbypassanyformof apower-uptestsequenceand
willdisplay“CITY”or“HIGHWAY”dependinguponthemode
previouslyselected.Unit is readyforoperation.
TUTORIAL MODE
TheTutorialModeallowsyoutobecomemorefamiliarwith
allaudibleandvisual alerts.Themessage“TUTORIAL”
appearsinthedisplayfollowedby theaudioandcorresponding
TextMessagefor“LASER”,“Ka AUDIO”,“K AUDIO”,“X
AUDIO”,sampleRadaralert(K bandsignalrampingfrom
weaktostrong) and“SAFETY WARNING SYSTEM SAMPLE
ALERTS”.Threesamplesws™messagesarethenpresentedin
thedisplayalongwiththecorrespondingDigitalVoice Message:
Sample 1“ACCIDENT AHEAD”
Sample 2“HIGHWAY WORKCREW AHEAD”
Sample 3“POLICE IN PURSUIT”
Whilesamplemessagesareplayingyoucanaccessthe
complete list of sws™messagesbypressingthe ctybutton to
moveforward in thelist.“MSG 1”willappearinthedisplay
confirmingyourselection(tomovebackward inthelist,press
thedrk button).Pressingtheaud button allows you to listen
to the sws™messagewhile viewingitin thedisplay.Pressthe
ctybuttonagain tosteptothenextmessage;presstheaud
buttontoreview,and so on.This allowsyou toreview all
60messages.
To exit Tutorial Mode, press the pwr button and your unit
willbeon andreadytoreceivesignals.
Set and Forget Memory
Anytimebel980or bel950areturnedoff or unplugged from
thecigarettelightersocket,allfeaturesettingsyouhaveselected
areretainedintheunit’smemory.SetandForgetMemory
eliminatestheneedtoresetyourpreferred featuresettings
eachtimeyourunitisturnedoff andthenbackon.


Reset to Factory Settings
YoucanresetyourunittofactorysettingsforStart-Upmode,
volume,drk,aud,cty andSelectableFeatures.Toreset,press
andholdthectybuttonuntilthedisplay shows“RESET”.
Two“beeps”willsoundandyourunitwillcyclethroughthe
NormalStart-UpMode.
Voltage Warning
Your bel980orbel950continuallycheckyourvehicle’svoltage
toensureproperperformanceof yourdetector.Theunit’s
operatingrangeis10.5to16.0volts.If voltagefallsbelow10.5
volts,displaywillshow“LOW VOLT” untilconditionisrectified.
drk (Bright/Dim/Dark) Button
Thedrk button allowsselectionof abright,fullyadjustable
dimmodeordarkmode.The unitisfactory presettofull
bright display.To engage dimmode,pressand holdthedrk
button.Thedisplaywill cyclethroughvarious levelsof dim
illumination.Releasethebuttonatyourchosenlevel.To
engagedark mode,pressthedrk buttonasecondtime.A
single“beep”coupledwiththebrief illuminationof“DARK”
onthedisplayconfirms yourselection.You’llnoticean“H”
(Highwaymode) or“C”(Citymode)remainsdim toconfirm
yourunitisreceivingpower.To returntoafullbrightsetting,
press the drk buttonathirdtime;two“beeps”confirmthis
selection.Useof thedrk buttondoes notaffect audio alerts.
Important—if youpressthethe drk button anddonotreceive
audibleconfirmation,theaudiolevelhasbeensettoolow.
aud (Auto-Mute/Volume Control) Button
Manual Muting of AudioAlerts(Radarand sws™)
WhetherAuto-Mute isselectedonor offinSelectable
Features,the audio alertscanbe completelymutedby
pressing the aud buttonduringan alert.Thedisplaywill
briefly show“Qu i e .”Noaudiblealertwillbeheardfor
approximately12 seconds.If thesignalisstillpresentafter12
seconds,the unitwillremaininmanualmutemode.
Note—because Laser alertsare notlengthyorsustained,
mutingis notrequired(seepage)



Volume Control
Pressand holdtheaud buttontoengagethevolumecontrol.
TheAudiolevelhas9settingsforbel980 and5settingsfor
bel950.Releasetheaud buttonwhenyouhavereachedyour
desiredaudiosetting.
cty (City/Highway) Button
Thectymodehasbeendesignedtoeffectivelyreduce
unwantedaudioalertscausedbyintrusion alarms,door
openers,andotherdeviceswhichshareX band withpolice
Radar—withoutreducingsensitivity.Signalsfromnon-police
Radarsourcesarefrequentlyencounteredin urban and sub-
urbanareas,makinguse of thismodeidealintheseareas.
Pressing the ctybuttononce engagesthectymodewhichis
confirmed by“CITY”inthedisplaycoupledwithasingleaudio
“beep”. Pressingthectybutton a second timereturnsyouto
highwaymode;“HIGHWAY”willappearinthedisplaycoupled
withtwo“beeps”.Onceengaged,weak X band signals
encounteredwill producenoaudiblealertuntilthe signal
strengthreachesa preset level.However,visualalertsare
processedtheinstantan X band signalis detected,keeping
youquietlyinformed.Sincemost“false”X bandsignalsare
weak,theuse of thectymode allowsyoutodriveoutof their
range before they reachthepreset level and triggera full
audioalert.Incontrast,signalsfromX bandtrafficRadarare
generallystrongerandwillexceedthepresetlevel,causinga
fullXbandaudioalert.Activatingthectymode willnot
changeSuperWidebandKa,K orinstant-onXbandRadar
alertpatterns.
Note—thectymode does not change the presentation of alerts
for Laser orsws™.
CityAll (bel980 only)
CityAllmodeis a SelectableFeature of thebel980(see
Selectable Features page9).This featureprovidesan alternate


approach for improving selectivityonX,Kand Super
WidebandKaandis idealforuseinareas witha highlevel of
microwavetransmissionswhichcan causefalsingonall
Radarbands.
While in CityAll mode,bel980willprovidean initial short
X,K,orKaaudioalertcoupledwithvisual confirmationofthe
banddetectedandsignalstrengthinthedisplay.Nofurther
audiblealertisprovideduntilthesignalstrengthreachesa
presetlevel.Whennoaudioalertisprovided,thevisualalert
keeps you quietly informed.
Note—Once“CTY X”or“CTY ALL”is chosenin Selectable
Features the ctybuttonmusttobepressedtoengageyour
selection.
selectable features
Thefollowingfeaturesmaybeselected,dependinguponyour
drivingenvironment.
CityXorCityAll(availableonbel980only)
X/K/KaBandon or off (available onbel980 only)
Auto Mute on or off
Radar/LaserDigitalVoicePromptsor“beeps”
SafetyWarningSystem®on or off
SafetyWarningSystem®DigitalVoiceon or off
Audio/Visual Scroll Rate(fast or slow)
CityXorCityAll(availableonbel980only)
When“CTY X ”isselected,yourunitprovidesstandard X
Bandselectivity,whichissuitableformosturban areas.City
Allprovidesan increased levelof selectivityonallBandsand
isdesignedfor use inhighdensity microwaveareas.Factory
settingis“CTY X ”.
Note—once “CTY X”or“CTY ALL”is chosenin
Selectable Features,the cty buttonmustbepressedtoengage
your selection.



X/K/KaBandOn orOff (bel980 only)
Select“X on/X off”,“K on/K off”or“Ka o n /Ka o f f”
dependingupon yourdriving environmentand
selectivityrequirements.Thismodeis especiallyuseful
where falsingmayoccuranddisabling theoffendingband
may berequired.Factorysettingison for allthreeBands.
Auto-MuteOn/Off
With“Amu e on”,unitwillprovideseveralX,K,Super
WidebandKaaudioalertsfollowedbytheDigitalVoice
announcementof thesignaldetected.AftertheDigitalVoice
announcement,a“clicking”tonekeepsyouquietlyinformed
for aslongasthesignalispresent.Thisclickingbecomemore
rapidasthestrengthof theRadarsignalincreases.“Amu e
enables you to conveniently monitor extended encounters
without havingtomanuallymute oradjustthe volume
setting.
With“Amu eoff,”unitwill provideacontinuous series of
X,K,SuperWideband KaaudioalertsandDigitalVoice
announcementof thesignaldetected.DigitalVoiceprompts
areprovidedonceaftertheinitialaudioalert.Thisstandard
settingisoftenpreferredwhenbackgroundnoiseinavehicle
isloud.Factorysettingis“Amu eo ff.”
Note—becauseof theirurgency,Laseralerts are notaffected.
Radar/Laser DigitalVoicePrompts
With“Vo ic e o n ”,unitwillprovideDigitalVoiceprompts
followedby“beeps”whenX/K/KaandLaser signalsare
detected.With“Voiceoff”,unitwillsounduniqueaudio
tones only.Factory settingis “Vo ic e o n ”.
Safety Warning System® (sws™)
With“SWSo n ”,unitwillprovideaMessagewhensignalsfrom
sws™transmitters are detected.Factory setting is“SWSo n ”.
Safety Warning System® (sws™)withDigitalVoice Messages
When“SWSv o i c e ”isselected,unitwillprovideDigitalVoice
announcementswhensws™transmitters aredetected.Factory

on”