I just got a Cobra Radar Detector, well its not mine but a friend said I could use it for however long I want cause he dont use it anymore. Its pretty freakin new and its nice. But he doesnt have the owners manual anymore, so Ive got some questions. What do the different radar bands mean? Theres X band, K band, Ka band, and what looks like a V band. What do thses different bands pick up?

 

You can download a manual here.

http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=...79c3a1424dd89c

As to what the bands are.

http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=...id=1&faq_id=79

 

Thank you Kingfish

 

i have one. saved my rear end quite a few times. never paid much attention to the bands, just know that when it goes off i had better slow down.

 

I used to have one. Unfortunately microwave towers give a false signal and the main road I drive back and forth to work has microwave and cell phone towers every few miles.

 

Yea Ive liked this one so far. One of the highways I take to work is full of cops and the speedlimit is 60 but I usually cruise 70 just out of habit, most highways are 70 anyways. Cant really tell if its saved me or not cause I know where the cops sit and watch for them.

 

I know some of the cops that patrol around here and they say it's hard to pick up a radar gun that ain't turned on till it's too late for you.

I really don't speed that often but when I do I generally get caught. I know of one state cop (I didn't get a ticket from him) that would sit and wait and turn his gun on when you topped a hill ofr if it was dark he'd wait till you were very close. He said he'd get em every time. he also said it was fun watching guys beat and cuss their radar detectors.

 

Don't be the rabbit! Let someone go ahead of you a little and when they get to the top of the hill the cop will radar them, your detector will go off, you slow down get by the cop and hammer down again.

 

They don't use the "passive" radar anymore. NOw it's a directed system. If your detector goes off, you might as well pull over.

 

Bull. And there's no such thing as "passive" radar... all radar transmits when in use, thereby making it an active device. Radar hasn't changed much in the past 20 or so years, other than the band being used (X, K, Ka).

Radars these days are quicker to lock up (for the Gunn oscillator to come up to temperature and frequency, assuring a correct reading), and some cops choose to run instant-on (not really instant, but the cop sees you, pulls the trigger, and you have about 0.75sec to react). However, lots of cops just let the radar run all the time, as it's easier for them (they can sit there half-asleep reading numbers), and there are enough volunteer victims without detectors on the road to keep them busy.

Lidar (laser), on the other hand, is virtually instant, but the cop has to not only pull the trigger for each vehicle, he has to use an eyepiece to aim the device at a reflective surface (license plate, usually). It's a nasty tool, but lots of cops don't feel like working that much.

 

I can not tell you how many time my detector has saved me! I have not had this happen, but like they said there are times when you still get caught because they tag you before you know it. If a cop is on his radio, mine will usually go crazy. I like that because it will sometimes let me know he is around even if he is not radaring. I am looking into to getting a scrambler-detector soon.

 

Don't believe the hype. A radar detector is tuned to receive certain bands (X, K, Ka). Your radar detector will not alarm based on his public safety radio... most likely, he's got the radar on and is just letting in run (radar works while in motion, too).

Scrambler-detectors don't do anything. I've tested several with a Stalker ATR Ka-band handheld radar, and I had no problems acquiring accurate speed at distance. Some of them do actually emit some RF... which means you're also violating FCC regulations by emitting RF where you're not licensed to do so.

 

News Break (temporarily highjacked thread)

Screw the r(L)adar detectors! Mine pretty much sits in the glove box any more. I have learned to drive the speed limit!

What I REALLY want is a cell phone jammer!!!!! Yup, I know they are against the law. I figure that since our law makers don't have the nads (take that as being bought off by phone co.'s) to pass laws banning their use by drivers in moving cars, I would happily help them out. I am on the local roads a minimum of 3 days and am amazed at the numbers of cell users screwing up traffic.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled thread.......................

 

Tvsjr has some real good info there. Remember, RADAR stands for RAdio Detecting And Ranging. When a cop shoots a beam of radio waves at you, you have the first opportunity to detect it--roughly half the time it takes for him to detect it. The question is, do you have enough time to react? In the case where you are running down the interstate at the head of the pack (the rabbit), no, you can't react quick enough. However, if you're somewhere behind the rabbit, you can detect the radio waves that bounced off the rabbit's vehicle and other things around him. Since the cop would be focusing on what the rabbit is doing, you can react to what your detector has detected. Laser (LIDAR, or LIght raDAR) works in a similar manner, except that it is much better at "instant-on" or "trigger-pull" operation, so it's even more important to NOT be the rabbit. As was said before, some cops just sit there or drive around with their radars active, so they'll be setting off every detector within a mile or so, depending on the detector's sensitivity and the terrain. If you get too many cops in an area doing this, your detector is worthless if you are wanting to speed, because there may be no cops watching your road, but your detector is lit up like a Christmas tree.

In my neck of the woods, you really don't need a detector, because other people do it for you. Let someone else be a rabbit, and when their brakelights come on, slow down. I've also learned (in general) where you can't speed, part from personal experience, part from secondhand info. Small towns love to have speed traps where 3 mph over will get you busted. In cities, 5-6 mph over is typically safe, save for school zones (I've heard of folks getting busted for 21 in a 20 mph school zone). On interstates around here, most cops won't bat an eye at 10 over.

All that being said, our speed limit system stinks. If they're gonna enforce it, set a speed that makes sense for the road, and enforce. I don't mean by constantly having cops out there writing $100 tickets--I mean by making it so that people don't want to get a ticket. Make the penalty loss of license on the second offense, or maybe a $2000 fine or something. Drop the random tax on those going with the flow of traffic. Cops will tell you that speed kills. Baloney. It's the DIFFERENCE in speed that kills. Otherwise Chuck Yeager would have died long ago. If you have a group of cars all moving at 75 mph, that's pretty safe. Throw in one idiot who's doing 100 or who slams on their brakes, and you have problems.

Sorry for the editorializing. In the end, being a safe driver is better than any radar detector. Driving is not about "what you can get away with", it's about not putting your and others' lives at risk. The best radar detector is your eyes and ears and what's between them.

Jason

 

Jason's right. A radar detector is only a source of information... you have to combine it with a smart driving style (don't be rocking along at 40MPH over the speed limit in the front of the pack!), situational awareness, and common sense

If you want a detector, you want a Valentine One (no, I don't work for the company, but I'm speaking as a very satisfied customer and as someone who's been on the other end of the radar). The "bogey counter" is extremely accurate, and will save your *** if there are multiple radar transmitters in the area (for instance, one officer working one hill, another on the next hill... most detectors, you simply assume you're still seeing alarms from the one behind you, then surprise! With a V1, you'd get an indication of two radars, one front, one rear, and you'd be able to guess what was going on).

And don't view any of this as permission or advice to speed all the time. I'll give you that the speed limits are pretty jacked up in lots of places. On the other hand, I've seen what the various combinations of speed, alcohol/drugs, and myriad road hazards can do to you (I'm the assistant chief for a volunteer FD/emergency services unit, along with being a freelance news photojournalist.)