Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 15
  1. #1

    Default radars not goin to work anymore?

    ok well i just bought my Cobra XRS 9300 from bestbuy...and when i was paying for it the register said some like their not goin to work anymore(next year)...b/c police or something are goin to do something that wont make them work anymore. is this true? they said specifically NH and MA and surrounding areas.

  2. #2
    Old Timer
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    6,806

    Default

    I would take anything that a Best Buy cashier would say with a grain of salt. Maybe he was trying to sell you an extended warranty, by trying to convince you that the unit would need to be upgraded in a year or so?

    About the only tricks currently available to make radar detectors "not work" are:

    1. Laser. Sure, all current detectors will detect laser but most often it's too late if/when you get an alert. There are anti-laser countermeasures such as Veil and laser jammers, search this board for lots of information.

    2. Well-timed instant on. When your detector alerts, you're cooked. This isn't 100% effective though. If your detector is sensitive enough and you have cars in front of you, you should be able to pick up the shots at the cars ahead.

    3. POP. Better detectors have POP capability now. See #2 above as well. Also, the NH staties got new radar units in the past couple years, so I doubt they'd spend more money replace them all over again to gain POP.

    4. Drones. These cause your detector to go off every time you pass them. If a cop hides behind the drone, you'll just think the detector is alerting on the drone. Better detectors such as the Escort X50 (in Expert Mode) and the V1 with its bogey counter can get around this issue, but drones are most annoying.

    5. Non-radar speed measurement, such as pacing or VASCAR. You'd need a CB or police scanner and sharp eyes to get advance warning of these.

    Are you in NH or MA?
    If I'm passing you on the right, YOU are in the wrong lane!

    If speed kills, how come I'm still alive?

    Active Countermeasures: V1 3.858, Escort Redline, Beltronics STi-R+, LI Dual 7.1x CPU/8.7 Heads (front)
    Other/Backup Countermeasures: V1 3.813 (loaned to friend), Beltronics Pro RX65 M4 6.3
    Vehicle: 2002 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro
    LEO Toys: Kustom Pro Laser II & III
    Encounters/Saves August 2011: Radar 3/1, Laser 0/0


  3. #3

    Default

    MA but im like 5min away from NH...i actually bought the radar in NH...i have a feeling the cashier was just trying to sell my the warrenty pack or something...b/c she was saying "there not goin to work anymore and you can get this service pack and it will allow you to return this product in about a year when it wont work anymore and you get your full refund back"...she looked like an average girl...i highly doubt she knows anything about radars and stuff...


    do you think the Cobra XRS9300 is anygood? i dont anything crazy...i just need something i can use from time to time...nothing to big


    are radars illegal? if a cop see's you with it what would he do?

  4. #4
    Radar Fanatic
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    2,357

    Default

    I would imagine that the 9300 performs similarly to the 9700, which my girlfriend uses. It won't give you tons of warning but it should do the job on constant traps and some instant traps set by sloppy officers. Laser seems to work pretty well, too. If you get pulled over by a cop and he sees it you can kiss any chance of a warning goodbye, so you might want to consider hard-wiring it and getting it out of sight. Best Buy sells the hard wire kit. (I point that out because I don't think Roy carries them.) They aren't illegal around here, though. Just VA, DC, and most of Canada.

  5. #5
    Speed Demon
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Cincinnati,Ohio
    Posts
    695

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by silverrolla5

    are radars illegal? if a cop see's you with it what would he do?
    If they were illegal Bestbuy wouldn’t sell them. That’s why Bestbuy doesn’t sell them in Virginia.

  6. #6

    Default

    ok im having some trouble with my xrs9300...for some reason its not really working i think...i went by a couple of cop cars today and the radar didnt pick up anything...do police have to have their radar on or someting for my radar to pick something up? wont it at least pick up the cop car?

    and for some reason my radar didnt come with any manual or kind...so im pretty clueless on how it works...what does the X,K,Ka,V,S bands mean? and im assuming to put the radar on "c" when im on the streets and suburbs and off course in the city...and "h" when im on the highway?

  7. #7
    Old Timer
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    6,806

    Default

    It's a RADAR detector, not a COP detector. It will only sound if it picks up a radar signal. Not all cops have radar, and those that do don't necessarily have it on all the time.

    A good way to test to see if your Cobra is working is to drive up to a supermarket that has the automatic doors. Most of these use low-power radar sensors to detect people approaching, and these will set off radar detectors.

    X, K, and Ka are the three radar bands (frequencies). V and S light up when a VG-2 or Spectre 1 radar detector detector is nearby. An L will light up when laser is detected.

    "C" is for city mode and "H" is for highway mode. Highway mode is more sensitive, while City lowers sensitivity (usually for just X band) to reduce falsing in the city.

    The detector should have come with a manual. If door openers don't set it off, I bet you got a defective unit that was returned, and Best Buy just tossed it back up on the shelf.
    If I'm passing you on the right, YOU are in the wrong lane!

    If speed kills, how come I'm still alive?

    Active Countermeasures: V1 3.858, Escort Redline, Beltronics STi-R+, LI Dual 7.1x CPU/8.7 Heads (front)
    Other/Backup Countermeasures: V1 3.813 (loaned to friend), Beltronics Pro RX65 M4 6.3
    Vehicle: 2002 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro
    LEO Toys: Kustom Pro Laser II & III
    Encounters/Saves August 2011: Radar 3/1, Laser 0/0


  8. #8
    Radar Fanatic
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Staffordshire, Uk
    Posts
    2,000

    Default

    i'm interested in inventing a cop doughnut detector......

    problem is you'd get false alerts near doughnut shops!

  9. #9

    Default

    well im still having some problems...today a few cops from time to time i saw go by me/ where parked/ ect with their lights on...shouldnt my radar go off when a cop is in "actioin" mode? mine didnt pick up anything

  10. #10
    Radar Fanatic
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    2,357

    Default

    Not necessarily. Officers are getting better and better at using "instant-on" radar. They can wait all day with the radar turned off until they see someone they think is speeding. Only then do they trigger it. It's also the case that some officers aren't even interested in catching speeders, especially if the shift is over! (That saved me from a 77/65 close call several years ago.) They could also be using laser. You almost never pick it up unless you are the one being targeted.

 

 

Similar Threads

  1. Goin' down to Georgia...
    By stlcardsfan in forum Local & Regional Info
    Replies: 28
    Last Post: 03-27-2009, 10:02 AM
  2. Your scanner May not work Anymore...
    By alpinestars_2002795 in forum Scanners, Ham Radios, & CB's
    Replies: 21
    Last Post: 08-04-2008, 11:54 AM
  3. my top 2 bottons don't work anymore!
    By UW RL in forum Escort
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 08-12-2006, 10:31 PM
  4. Question on How Radars Work
    By CelicaTRD in forum Radar Detectors - General
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-19-2006, 08:55 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •