I just had to try a Cobra...

[MEM-TEK]

I guess that got your attention! :D

Just for fun, and mainly to test if running a Cobra at the same time as my other RDs would greatly affect the range of my other RDs, I decided to buy the cheapest Cobra sold at my local Walmart. I happily parted with $39 in order to walk out the door with a Cobra ESD 737 which is the Walmart branded equivalent of the ESD 7000 shown below. I do so love to buy radar detectors -- even cheap ones!

http://www.cobra.com/images/productImages/radarDetectors/ESD7000_R.png

So, for $39, what did I expect? Well, I did expect that the ESD would at least have a ramp-up for its audio alerts! It doesn't. In fact, its single glowing LED for either X band or for K/Ka band combined with its non-ramping audio alert reminded me of this POS Road Patrol which was the first RD I bought back in 1983:

http://www.mem-tek.com/radar/vintage_radar_detectors/RoadPatrolXK_22-1605_250x120.jpg

Well, I have to admit that the old Road Patrol on clearance sale set me back by $59 back then in 1983 and that the Cobra was $20 cheaper! I was excited since Cobra claims that this RD is Spectre undetectable. Later I checked their web site and noted the "*" and then read the note that this Cobra RD is only undetectable by the original Spectre I model. Hmm...this seems to me to be more than just a little bit of misleading and false advertising. But I am sure that Cobra's plethora of attorneys approved it.

Before leaving the Walmart I had the cashier cut open the near bullet proof blister pack so that I would be able to extract the Cobra and its accessories once I got to my car. The best thing about this cheap Cobra ESD 737 is its suction cup mount which stuck to the windshield like glue.

My tests of the Cobra against the Walmart K band door openers...

I moved my car and parked approximately 800 feet from the Walmart's K band door openers and then turned on my STi. My STi was happily detecting the door openers with a signal strength of 1 and sometimes 2. I turned off my STi and then turned on my brand new Cobra. What, no alert? I drove towards the door openers. Finally, at roughly 100 feet from the door openers, my brand new Cobra began to alert. I was thoroughly impressed at how well the Cobra ignored these false K band door openers by not detecting them at all until I got pretty close to them, due to the Cobra's poor K band sensitivity. I would say that the Cobra doesn't even need the City button to reduce false alerts. Maybe the City button is there just for looks and perhaps to imply that the Cobra is so sensitive that it needs a City filter?

My tests of how badly the Cobra interfered with my STi...

Well, after the fun and happy horse $h!t of testing the Cobra against the Walmart K band door openers, I decided to see if the Cobra would affect my STi's ability to detect known X and K band falses around town while I headed home. The results were not good!

-- My STi completely failed to alert to the Right Aid K band door openers located very close to the roadway. Normally my STi would detect those door openers at a distance of at least 1000 feet.

-- My STi didn't alert to the multiple K band door openers located at the Food Lion grocery store until I was within 800 feet of them, at which point my STi suddenly alerted and correctly displayed the signal strength as 6 out of 10.

I haven't performed any other additional tests. Yet it is obvious that Cobra RDs, due to Cobra's choice of the primary LO frequency, presents very serious problems for all other RD manufacturers. What do I suggest you do if you are driving along and you see a Cobra in another nearby vehicle? Back off by at least 500 feet in order to allow your RD to have a decent chance of actually detecting police radar while your RD is within or near the "interference cone" of a Cobra.

[stray444]

Great read :D

Now let's see if it will blend :!:

[CincinnatiKid]

Yes, nice read.

[djrams80]

Funny as he11! :lol:

[Lucky225]

Funny as he11! :lol:

I can see it now, cops buying $40 cobras to make sure your RD doesn't alert to their I/O :P

[StealthyPhantom]

Great read :D

Now let's see if it will blend :!:
:lol: :lol: :lol: Yeah that BlendTec is something else, Maybe that could be their next youtube video? :lol:

[Ck15]

next week go to autozone and get a $50 xtr 140 :)

[djrams80]

I'll one up you MEM-TEK. I'm gonna go get me an RMR at my local Pepboys! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[dpatel01]

A half-professional review of my doorstopping cobra 6050 coming soon. :lol: :lol:

[djrams80]

A half-professional review of my doorstopping cobra 6050 coming soon. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[MEM-TEK]

A half-professional review of my doorstopping cobra 6050 coming soon. :lol: :lol:

I can't wait -- especially for the part of your review describing its effectiveness as a door stop! :D

[dpatel01]

Here's my long awaited review of the 6050.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2009/cobraesd6050am7.jpg

This 6-band radar detector (and I use that description very loosely) was purchased from Circuit City many years ago for $59.99, so that figures to $10 per band. At that rate, the Bel STi should offer 50 bands of protection if it retails for $500. Maybe Bel secretly added 5 bands at $10 each to justify its recent price hike from $450 to $500. But back to the cobra.
When I placed the RD in my hand I noticed it hardly weighed anything. The reason this Cobra is so light is becuase added weight in the car prevents the car from going faster. A 1 oz. Cobra will have negligible effect on the power-to-weight ratio compared to a heavier, real RD so the driver can operate his vehicle at insane speeds. After all having a Cobra is a license to drive fast.

On the display there are markings corresponding to Each LED. Left to Right they are:
Green - Power
Red - X
Amber - K/Ka
Yellow - L/W
Green - C
I wasn't aware there were 6 bands in use by LEOs, but here they are according to my plastic cover: X, K, Ka, L, W, and C. I noticed some strange behavior when pressing the City Button. The far right LED marked "C" would alternate between on and off. I figured it out: C was not a band, it was city mode operation. Now we're down to 5 bands: X, K, Ka, L, and W, but "6 band" was printed on top of this particular unit so I was infuriated getting 1 band less than advertised. X band has its own distinct red led, red to of course signify the extremely dangerous band. K and Ka band markings share the center LED and in a less-dangerous-than-red amber. After all, K and Ka aren't really all that important according to Cobra so not much need to seperate them by giving them their own LEDs. I stuck the RD on the windshield. MEM-TEKs cobra suction cups held like glue. My suction cups, however, are held together by glue. I wanted to be a rebel among cobra users. I decided to go against their patented VASCAR finding 45 degree upward mount. I kept mine perfectly straight and level. The start up sequence is so long and annoying filled with beeps, braps, triple braps, some other cool scary sound and a final sound which I can not describe. It may draw as much as half the power required to start the car during POST, so if u have an older car/battery, beware. I set off on my test drive.

As I approached traffic signals, the cobra beeped and alerted X-band as I got to the intersection. Every traffic signalled intersection. Not one omitted. Thank god for the cobras attentiveness to these signals. Had it not been for its beeping at red lights, I would just roll on through each and every one of them potentially causing a 6 car pileup of twisted metal and broken bodies. But no, the fine idiots at cobra have given us a product that saves us from red light tickets, accidents, and injuries. Hungry in the middle of the night? No problem. If the Cobra is alerting X-band and you are not at a stoplight, look for a k-mart, look for an older walmart, look for any store with ancient automatic door openers. I drove down a highway where my Bel 955 alerts two curves and a hill prior to the K-band speed sign it's detecting. The Cobra can only detect it after my eyes have seen it. The next test was against a Ka-band speed sign on a straight road, which my Bel can usually pick up from 2+ miles. The cobra did a wonderful job "filtering" this non-threatening sign as it alerted from about 5 car lengths.

Continuing on my journey I experienced 2 laser alerts. Only problem was that I wasn't being shot by laser. This could mean that it has the V1's superior abilities to detect laser scatter from outer space, but no, it doesn't, they were just falses scaring the hell out of me. Later I heard sirens in the background, and soon I see red/blue flashing lights, a fire truck and an ambulance in my field of vision. The Cobra alerts "W" and plays a European siren. Just like its abilities to save lives by beeping at stop lights, it once again demonstrated its life saving abilities by alerting to emergency vehicles I had already seen. My testing was done.

Still being disappointed in its abysmal 5 car length detection of Ka, I decided to call Cobra and demanded answers from the snake itself. The snake rattled off assuring me the reason for this short alert against the K and Ka signs was because of Cobras superior filtering of off-axis signals. The snake told me in order to get good range, I must drive into the speed signs, not past them. Maybe the same applies to LEO cars. One must intend to directly drive into the LEO car in order get a decent
alert. After all, the snake slithers behind every Crapra it sells by imprinting a logo of itself on each unit.

Then a V1 user used his arrows to guide himself to the location of my Crapra as it was causing his V1 to give J alerts within a 0.5 mile radius and proceeded to give me the single digit salute. The cobra had to go back to doing this:

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/5081/cobradoorwt1.jpg

That's right, holding the door open. :lol: :lol:

[Retaliation]

dpatel01, thanks for the good laughs. Very funny. :lol:

[MEM-TEK]

dpatel01, that is a very nicely written review! Yet you failed to answer my question as to how effective the Cobra is as a door stop. :lol:

[fire65]

Nice write up, as I expected it would be coming from you.

[djrams80]

dpatel01, that is a very nicely written review! Yet you failed to answer my question as to how effective the Cobra is as a door stop. :lol:Although, in his defense, he did provide visual evidence. Oustanding review with many laughs! Thanks!

[dpatel01]

Nice write up, as I expected it would be coming from you.
Just doing my part to tell others on this board by speaking from past mistakes. :wink: :D

In defense of the 6050 I must say that it had never gotten me pulled over during the 1 year it was my primary use detector. Disregarding the humor, what I said about the stores, its pathetic range, its annoyance with laser falses and the emergency vehicle alerts is true. Thinking that Cobra made decent products, I had to purchase the "9 band" 9150 back in 2001, which alerted to a police radar gun AFTER I was pulled over, rolled the window down, and had the LEO come up to me to show the speed reading. That was a pathetic detector, long ago picked up by the trash collector after I purchased a Whistler.

In testing for the 6050s leakage my Bel 955 sometimes showed X band, sometimes K band when placed near the Cobra. My Whistler 1665 was alerting more on X than the Bel. Many years ago when I tried running with both 6050 and 9150 on the windshield to see how they would work, the 9150 was the worst offender at polluting Ka. There was no way back then to really see how they stacked up together as the 6050 constantly alerted to Ka right as the car was started. Im thinking its mostly the 9 bands and up that pollute Ka.


dpatel01, that is a very nicely written review! Yet you failed to answer my question as to how effective the Cobra is as a door stop. :lol:
My picture is worth a thousand words. :lol: :lol: It's far more effective as a doorstop than as a RD. The low height of the product and the wedge shaped profile allow for placement under many types of doors. Around my house it holds doors open when placed on rough surfaces like carpet or smooth surfaces like tile. This truly is an all-round performer when it comes to holding doors open. My only gripe with this doorstop though is the price, $60 is on the high side when I can get less cooler looking ones for $4.

[jdong]

MEM-TEK, I'd be really curious -- do a review of a low-end XTR line from Whistler around the same price range :)

This review does reflect my impression of the low-end Cobras too -- they are along with RMR in the category of ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT WORK.... I think you can even get a constant-on ticket with one of these.

The higher-end Cobras are just spotty in performance but in the 70% of the time that they work they turn back acceptable range, though for the money you invest in one of those you can get a top notch Whistler or Bel 940/955...

[Mustang_guy17]

Cobra are junk. But lets not go buy the cheapest one they make and compare it to a $200+ detector and say it didn't perform as good. DUH

[dpatel01]

I'm curious how MEM-TEKs 6060 alerted his STi when both are operating near each other. I want to know if Cobra switched over the LO frequency to alert on Ka like most of their models of the past 6 to 8 years, or just kept on using the 6050's X/K polluting internals in the 6060. My 955 filters out the Cobras pollution quite well in Auto mode but in Highway mode it can get rather annoying. I haven't conducted tests using both Bel and Cobra powered on at the same time, but as we all know running 2 non-STi RDs near each other in a car is a big no.


This review does reflect my impression of the low-end Cobras too -- they are along with RMR in the category of ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT WORK.... I think you can even get a constant-on ticket with one of these.

The higher-end Cobras are just spotty in performance but in the 70% of the time that they work they turn back acceptable range...

Agreed. I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or funny with the 5 car length comment about the range against the CO Ka speed sign. That was really all the distance I had before a full blast IO-like alert came through. This particular sign runs on 34.7; imagine how much warning the low end cobra could give against the low powered 35.5 guns. :shock:

Comparing to my 6 year old Whistler (it's old enough to be considered low end today), the Whistler will still outperform the Cobra on all bands. I am very impressed with the consistency and build quality of Whistler products. Leaving it in the car on a day as cold as 10 degrees or hot as 95 degrees, it alerts me to the same radar sources every time from the same distance. The same cannot be said for consistency for the crapras, Bels, and Escorts I've observed.


Cobra are junk. But lets not go buy the cheapest one they make and compare it to a $200+ detector and say it didn't perform as good. DUH

I had a $100 cobra, and the only way that would alert me to Ka was perhaps if a LEO was riding in my passenger seat operating his radar gun. :lol: :lol: So at Cobra, MSRP may be negatively correlated with performance.

djrams80, bring on the RMR review! :D

[jdong]

Cobra are junk. But lets not go buy the cheapest one they make and compare it to a $200+ detector and say it didn't perform as good. DUH

Well of COURSE we didn't expect a $60-100 detector to perform like a $400 detector, but we expected on the order of 1/2 the performance, not 1/10 or 1/20...

[MEM-TEK]

dpatel01, that is a very nicely written review! Yet you failed to answer my question as to how effective the Cobra is as a door stop. :lol:
My picture is worth a thousand words. :lol: :lol: It's far more effective as a doorstop than as a RD. The low height of the product and the wedge shaped profile allow for placement under many types of doors. Around my house it holds doors open when placed on rough surfaces like carpet or smooth surfaces like tile. This truly is an all-round performer when it comes to holding doors open. My only gripe with this doorstop though is the price, $60 is on the high side when I can get less cooler looking ones for $4.

But you can't plug in a cheap AC-DC adapter into the $4 dollar door stop to also turn it into a dim night light to light your walking path. Thus the Cobra used as a door stop has more potential versatility. :)


MEM-TEK, I'd be really curious -- do a review of a low-end XTR line from Whistler around the same price range :)

I've got that on my list to do since my Walmart also sells a Whistler XTR model for $49. Somehow I suspect that the Whistler will perform better than the $39 Cobra.

[quote="dpatel01"]I'm curious how MEM-TEKs 6060 alerted his STi when both are operating near each other. I want to know if Cobra switched over the LO frequency to alert on Ka like most of their models of the past 6 to 8 years, or just kept on using the 6050's X/K polluting internals in the 6060. My 955 filters out the Cobras pollution quite well in Auto mode but in Highway mode it can get rather annoying. I haven't conducted tests using both Bel and Cobra powered on at the same time, but as we all know running 2 non-STi RDs near each other in a car is a big no.

I tested the Walmart ESD 737 which is the equivalent of the ESD 7000. The Cobra didn't cause my STi to alert falsely. Instead, the Cobra prevented my STi from alerting to K band door openers until my STi was much closer to the door openers.

[Super Dave]

All I know is the last ticket I got (knock on wood) was when I didn't know better and used a Cobra 6060. Nailed on Ka band and got no warning...

[tjbender]

But you can't plug in a cheap AC-DC adapter into the $4 dollar door stop to also turn it into a dim night light to light your walking path. Thus the Cobra used as a door stop has more potential versatility. :)

Yeah, but do you want to be the one explaining to the lady of the house why your doorstop keeps picking up a strong K-band alert from the vicinity of the refrigerator at 2:00 in the morning? :lol:

[MEM-TEK]

But you can't plug in a cheap AC-DC adapter into the $4 dollar door stop to also turn it into a dim night light to light your walking path. Thus the Cobra used as a door stop has more potential versatility. :)

Yeah, but do you want to be the one explaining to the lady of the house why your doorstop keeps picking up a strong K-band alert from the vicinity of the refrigerator at 2:00 in the morning? :lol:

That wouldn't be nearly as big of a deal compared to if it started alerting to RF emissions from her vibrator. Then she would think that I was using the Cobra to alert me to any secret "activities" when she was merely supposed to be be in bed and reading a book! :D

[MEM-TEK]

Seriously though,

This evening I took a quick peek inside my Cobra ESD 7000. Man, the radar horn is unbelievably tiny! The front end of the horn measures a mere 20mm wide by 10.5mm tall. Thus the horn width is a full 8mm short in width compared to the 28mm (1.1 inch) wide horns used on all Belscort, Whistler and Valentine RDs. 1.1 inches, by the way, is the wavelength of X band radar. And the ESD 7000's horn is only 10.5mm tall which is a bit less than the standard 1/2" height used by competitors. No wonder the ESD 7000 sucks at picking up radar compared to either more expensive Cobra models or competing models.

The horn also uses a conventional Gunn diode oscillator and GaAs diode detector, complete with tuning screws for tuning the horn and K/Ka harmonics within the horn. Thus, 1980s technology in a modern radar detector.

Interestingly, the sticker on my ESD 7000 claims patent number 6,094,148 which is assigned to Strobe Detector Technologies, LLC (Henderson, NV) and describes detecting the modulated light from emergency vehicle flashing lights. I am pretty darned sure that the laser circuitry within the ESD 7000 does NOT detect flashing emergency vehicle lights!

The ESD 7000 is made overseas in China. Interestingly the FCC ID is BBO which is Cobra, yet Cobra apparently is using the dirty tactic of listing a patent number on the product which they neither use nor have a license for use? This unscrupulous tactic was used decades ago by off-brand Japanese camera and lens manufacturers during the 1960s and 1970s. Or maybe Cobra does have a license to use this patent, but it isn't actually used in this particular RD model?

All I can say is that the ESD 7000's internal build quality is good, which is more than I can say for its performance. Yet, at a mere $40, what should I expect?

[dpatel01]

MEM-TEK, can you provide us with an internal pic of the RD? I want to see how little it has changed over the years. My 6050s horn measures 20mm by 10.5mm too at the front end, complete with what appear to be tuning screws on the horn.

I googled patent 5,497,148 which leads back to Cobra and describes their safety alert feature.

[MEM-TEK]

MEM-TEK, can you provide us with an internal pic of the RD? I want to see how little it has changed over the years. My 6050s horn measures 20mm by 10.5mm too at the front end, complete with what appear to be tuning screws on the horn.

I googled patent 5,497,148 which leads back to Cobra and describes their safety alert feature.

I will take some pictures tomorrow. Patent 5497148 isn't the patent which I referred to.

[jwardell]

Thank you both for your excellent reviews!
This is why I requested in the GOL section they do a test to see how detectors respond to falses and interference, particularly to cobras. It would be very interesting to see how much and from what distances each of the good detectors are affected by the crapras.

[jdong]

Thank you both for your excellent reviews!
This is why I requested in the GOL section they do a test to see how detectors respond to falses and interference, particularly to cobras. It would be very interesting to see how much and from what distances each of the good detectors are affected by the crapras.

Falsing tests are very hard to do as we have no good way of measuring how a detector is reacting to a false signal... The top-notch units (V1, high-end Bel/Escort) all have quite advanced ways of blocking out Cobras based on associating 1/3 Ka harmonics with a corresponding Ka false, and similar for 1/2 K harmonics, but this can, particularly on K and 33.8 Ka, lead to cancellation of legitimate police radar within a certain frequency range.

From my testing I can say that the V1 does not alert to Cobra's XRS-series units in any way... not a car distance away, not up front. That's even with POP enabled! However, I do not know how this is affecting the unit's performance otherwise. I know for a fact that my Whistler 1793SE reacts to the same Cobras as if they were Ka radar guns.... several block's range... I'm quite sure the V1 "sees" the Cobra but is filtering it out.

[Lucky225]

Man I went to the corner store today and saw a long black RD with blue led display, thought maybe it was a whistler, then saw it was pointed at the sky. I parked next to the vehicle, got out, looked at the RD through the windshield, and saw the Cobra emblem :X

[Nighthawk243]

Seriously though,

This evening I took a quick peek inside my Cobra ESD 7000. Man, the radar horn is unbelievably tiny! The front end of the horn measures a mere 20mm wide by 10.5mm tall. Thus the horn width is a full 8mm short in width compared to the 28mm (1.1 inch) wide horns used on all Belscort, Whistler and Valentine RDs. 1.1 inches, by the way, is the wavelength of X band radar. And the ESD 7000's horn is only 10.5mm tall which is a bit less than the standard 1/2" height used by competitors. No wonder the ESD 7000 sucks at picking up radar compared to either more expensive Cobra models or competing models.

The horn also uses a conventional Gunn diode oscillator and GaAs diode detector, complete with tuning screws for tuning the horn and K/Ka harmonics within the horn. Thus, 1980s technology in a modern radar detector.

Interestingly, the sticker on my ESD 7000 claims patent number 6,094,148 which is assigned to Strobe Detector Technologies, LLC (Henderson, NV) and describes detecting the modulated light from emergency vehicle flashing lights. I am pretty darned sure that the laser circuitry within the ESD 7000 does NOT detect flashing emergency vehicle lights!

The ESD 7000 is made overseas in China. Interestingly the FCC ID is BBO which is Cobra, yet Cobra apparently is using the dirty tactic of listing a patent number on the product which they neither use nor have a license for use? This unscrupulous tactic was used decades ago by off-brand Japanese camera and lens manufacturers during the 1960s and 1970s. Or maybe Cobra does have a license to use this patent, but it isn't actually used in this particular RD model?

All I can say is that the ESD 7000's internal build quality is good, which is more than I can say for its performance. Yet, at a mere $40, what should I expect?

Tuning screws you say? Try tweaking it and seeing if it improves? :twisted:

[MEM-TEK]

Tuning screws you say? Try tweaking it and seeing if it improves? :twisted:

I didn't say nuthin' about turning any screws. :lol:

Actually, considering its very tiny horn size, I am rather surprised that the Cobra ESD 7000 works at all! It certainly doesn't have Cobra's marketed "Extra Sensory Detection" as implied throughout their advertising hyperbole.

[jdong]

Tuning screws you say? Try tweaking it and seeing if it improves? :twisted:

I didn't say nuthin' about turning any screws. :lol:

Actually, considering its very tiny horn size, I am rather surprised that the Cobra ESD 7000 works at all! It certainly doesn't have Cobra's marketed "Extra Sensory Detection" as implied throughout their advertising hyperbole.

Dude get an XRS while you're at it... the manual makes superheterodyne receivers sound like some earth-shattering breakthrough Cobra technology.

[MEM-TEK]

Dude get an XRS while you're at it... the manual makes superheterodyne receivers sound like some earth-shattering breakthrough Cobra technology.

What a riot! :D

[acura_driver]

see in my opinion, i would go the other way with the Cobras. meaning, instead of testing the cheaply priced units test the most expensive units that Cobra offers. the rationale being: the cheaply priced unit is cheaply priced for a reason. it has minimal features and the design specs will not be on the same level as a higher end model, even it is a Cobra. i realize not many people are willing to throw down $100+ for a "high-end" Cobra but it could be something several people can go in on to just have some fun and bring the overall cost down for each individual. then run the same tests and benchmarks to see how that one compares to the V1, escort, etc. models.

[jdong]

I'd at least try the XRS range which starts at ~$100 and uses the same platform as the higher end Cobras.... At the deep end of the spectrum a Cobra could cost as much as an Escort so putting it up against the X50 isn't out of the question...

[dpatel01]

Going back to the issue of interference, I drove last nite using my V955 with a cobra using friend of mine driving along. I offered to be the rabbit while he tailgated, and noticed the range to be a lot shorter on my RD. Over the course of approx. 50 miles, my V955 (w/POP off) picked up a couple of short Ka hits, most likely from the Cobra behind me. But what would normally be around a 2 mile alert on this flat, open road, I only got about 1/4 mile warning with very abrupt ramp up against a LEO who was on the other side of the highway with a customer pulled over. Makes me wonder if I should turn pop back on just to make finding cobra users easier then getting the hell away from them. :?

[MEM-TEK]

Going back to the issue of interference, I drove last nite using my V955 with a cobra using friend of mine driving along. I offered to be the rabbit while he tailgated, and noticed the range to be a lot shorter on my RD. Over the course of approx. 50 miles, my V955 (w/POP off) picked up a couple of short Ka hits, most likely from the Cobra behind me. But what would normally be around a 2 mile alert on this flat, open road, I only got about 1/4 mile warning with very abrupt ramp up against a LEO who was on the other side of the highway with a customer pulled over. Makes me wonder if I should turn pop back on just to make finding cobra users easier then getting the hell away from them. :?

Jimbonzzz would know what LO frequencies Cobra RDs use. If some Cobras are still using an 11.558 LO frequency, then this likely would cause both falses and problems for other RDs when trying to detect 34.7 Ka radar since 11.558 times 3 is 34.674.

[kilit]

A cobra 9430 opened by a romanian guy:

YouTube - Cobra 9430 radar detector cracked open (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbr22XP2OGM)

Does the horn seem to be better than on the 7000 model? I see tuning screws like on the cheaper model...

PS don't mock the guy's knowledge about detectors. He removed the plastic "lens" in front of Ka band receiver (he said so in the comments)... :lol:

[jdong]

Jimbonzzz would know what LO frequencies Cobra RDs use. If some Cobras are still using an 11.558 LO frequency, then this likely would cause both falses and problems for other RDs when trying to detect 34.7 Ka radar since 11.558 times 3 is 34.674.

Actually we need Michael B on this one... One of his responses has been posted here... I THINK it's something along the lines of the VG2 avoidance technique used by Cobras (sweep-and-park) just happens to happen at a frequency that's 1/3 of 33.8'ish.

The BS meter might be pretty high on this post.

[jdong]

Found it:



The falsing problem is unfortunately due to the 9,
10, and 11 band Cobra models and other models built around the 9 band
platform by BG Tech including come Uniden, Radio Shack, Early Warning, and PNI units built a few years ago.
The issue is the frequency plan they use and the sweep and park rates.
The 9 band models park at 12.180 for 120ms every 240ms. The 2nd
harmonic of this is at the upper edge of K band.

The 10 model parks at 11.350 for 50ms every 350ms and causes Ka alerts as the 3rd harmonic is 34Ghz.
The 11 band model does not park unless you engage Spectre and or VG2. When you engage Spectre the unit parks for 60ms at 11.1 every 428ms.

This can cause Ka at 33.3Ghz and our unit detects Kafrom 33.2 to 36Ghz. When you engage VG2 on the 11 band unit, thefrequency parks at 10.950 for 35ms or more every 260ms. The 2nd harmonic of this is 21.9Ghz and falls into our low side image during our K band.
Our K band is 24.0 -24.275 with a low side image of 21.9-22.24 We use a fast scan during POP on and a slower scan during POP off.

When the unit is in POP on and running the fast scan it is eligible for POP, but if the unit sees a signal it will go to the slower scan to get a better look at it. During the slow scan, the POP% is around 50%.

As you can see if another radar detector was around that was left on during our test this could have affected the POP results we got as well.



I love whistler....

[MEM-TEK]

Found it:

Thanks jdong for digging up that info. It explains exactly what is going on with Cobra falses.

[jdong]

Found it:

Thanks jdong for digging up that info. It explains exactly what is going on with Cobra falses.

Indeed. The last time I saw that was 2 years ago, at which time I really didn't understand enough to make any sense of it. Now, looking back, this information makes a lot more sense. It explains the various kinds of falsing that Cobras cause and also how different detectors are filtering it out.

I bet the V1's junk-out is specifically designed to combat the 11.3/11.1 50/60ms parks... That's frustratingly close to POP indeed.

[Divewjason]

Funny as he11! :lol:

I can see it now, cops buying $40 cobras to make sure your RD doesn't alert to their I/O :PDon't give them any ideas! :x

[bkrell]

Just a note. I remembered this thread other day as I tried running my old Bel 545i (circa 1996) on the dash while my v955 was on the windshield. While the 545i falsed like crazy during my whole drive, the v955 stayed silent at several locations where the it I normally goes crazy on X band falses.

[alpinestars_2002795]

I couldn't help noticeing the x,k only detector that looks simlar to a relic of NMA's the Spectrum 1, and Spectrum 2 whistler LOL


LMFAO :geekon:

:lol:


AlPiNe~

[RadarGhost]

I can see it now, cops buying $40 cobras to make sure your RD doesn't alert to their I/O :P


Hush your mouth!!!:eek:

[RadarGhost]

btw MEMTEK I do the same thing, buying cheap detectors. maybe I will mount them in the car all at once and either blow out my fuse box and electrical entirely or drive down the interstate and drive all the rd owners crazy! :D

[RadarKid]

I'm thinking about buying a few for decoys.
Anyone walking by seeing a Cobra on the windshield in a parking lot, will keep on walking. Or at worst case, they're dumb and break in to take IT instead of the Escort or V1 :cool:

[dpatel01]

I'm thinking about buying a few for decoys.
Anyone walking by seeing a Cobra on the windshield in a parking lot, will keep on walking. Or at worst case, they're dumb and break in to take IT instead of the Escort or V1 :cool:

Sadly most thieves are too stupid to tell the difference between a cobra and v1. Better to keep nothing in sight than to put up a cobra and risk a broken windshield just because an idiot wants to steal a $40 detector.

[RadarGhost]

I'm thinking about buying a few for decoys.
Anyone walking by seeing a Cobra on the windshield in a parking lot, will keep on walking. Or at worst case, they're dumb and break in to take IT instead of the Escort or V1 :cool:

I don't believe that idea is a bad one. I believe I will too. ;)

[Paperlantern]

I don't believe that idea is a bad one. I believe I will too. ;)

Personally id rather someone not break into my car at all... maybe thats just me...

[RadarGhost]

Personally id rather someone not break into my car at all... maybe thats just me...

I use to worry like that when detectors were very high value items. Now they go for twenty bucks and everyone displays them in their cars. I haven't ever seen a break in to get one in many many many years.

[Whistler1]

Cobras use extremely sophisticated algorithms to eliminate false alerts and enhance radar alerts to match your visual alerts.


Whistler1:D

[Whistler1]

You think Cobra radar detectors leak alot, actually that is a stealth function we added to our RDs that allows you to test other Radar Detectors, no other manufacturer can make this claim but us......


Whistler1 :D

[Divewjason]

see in my opinion, i would go the other way with the Cobras. meaning, instead of testing the cheaply priced units test the most expensive units that Cobra offers. the rationale being: the cheaply priced unit is cheaply priced for a reason. it has minimal features and the design specs will not be on the same level as a higher end model, even it is a Cobra. i realize not many people are willing to throw down $100+ for a "high-end" Cobra but it could be something several people can go in on to just have some fun and bring the overall cost down for each individual. then run the same tests and benchmarks to see how that one compares to the V1, escort, etc. models.I'm not going to pay $200+ dollars to do a review for a radar detector that will collect dust afterwards. I'm sure that everyone else feels the same way.

I just replied to an old post. ARGH.

[Gokhos]

Is the Cobra ESD 737 and the ESD 7000 the same RD?

[Divewjason]

Is the Cobra ESD 737 and the ESD 7000 the same RD?Yes, the ESD 737 is the same thing as the ESD 7000. The ESD 737 can only be found at Wal Mart because it's the Wal Mart version of the ESD 7000.

[dinan_one]

Yeah great review. Thanks for posting.

[SlapMyFro]

I am a little confused....
Does the the ESD 7000 have the 15 band radar detection package?

[dpatel01]

I am a little confused....
Does the the ESD 7000 have the 15 band radar detection package?

Only 6. Thats still more than V1/Belscort can come up with. :D

[Offshore]

where else could you buy a piece of crap RD and a hungry man dinner...Walmart rules!

[MEM-TEK]

And don't forget that Walmart also has a nice selection of piece of crap car stereo models to go along with your piece of crap RD. Top it off by also buying a piece of crap gear shift knob, a piece of crap fuzzy steering wheel cover, and some piece of crap cup holders so that your car's interior will have a thoroughly splendid piece of crap look. You can fully tweak your piece of crap interior look by adding a piece of crap compass, a piece of crap map light, and of course don't forget about adding a piece of crap mini wide angle stick-on mirror for your driver's side mirror. Is there any crap which I left out?

[fire65]

The piece of crap solar window fan, which I bought. Of course it doesn't work with tinted windows.

[kpatz]

And don't forget that Walmart also has a nice selection of piece of crap car stereo models to go along with your piece of crap RD. Top it off by also buying a piece of crap gear shift knob, a piece of crap fuzzy steering wheel cover, and some piece of crap cup holders so that your car's interior will have a thoroughly splendid piece of crap look. You can fully tweak your piece of crap interior look by adding a piece of crap compass, a piece of crap map light, and of course don't forget about adding a piece of crap mini wide angle stick-on mirror for your driver's side mirror. Is there any crap which I left out?The piece of crap 1,500 watt subwoofer in the back seat, along with a few piece of crap rap CDs to rattle the windows and everyone within a 1/4 mile radius with your crap. ;) And a piece of crap baseball cap worn backwards, and crap clothing that falls apart after being worn twice...

All quality made in China. :D

P.S. On the off chance that the piece of crap Cobra actually alerts to a speed trap, you won't hear it over the piece of crap stereo and piece of crap subwoofer anyway. ;)

[partsfreak]

I had a Cobra mounted in my boat. I heard it even detetets "R" band:cool:

[Offshore]

Im thinking about mounting one on my lawn mower to detect dog sh*t

[partsfreak]

Im thinking about mounting one on my lawn mower to detect dog sh*t

It would constant alert because it cant filter itself out.:D

[TREMEK]

MEM-TEK do you know anyway i can disable the radar detection on that cobra as to not get picked up by spectra

I have a STI for my main trips but i have that walmart cobra for testing and i must say it picks up laser really well. Im in canada and they use lidar in the suburbs like mad.

So i want to use this as an only laser detector. but disable the radar so i dont get picked up by spectra. that way if i have to i can wipp it out the window :)

Dont want to risk the sti in plane view

[kpatz]

Well, you could surgically remove the horn antenna. And if you could identify the LO components, you could disable that as well.

Someone needs to make a laser-only detector, preferably with multiple sensors that can be placed in different spots on the car to pick up scatter. Maybe I'll invent one. ;)

[MEM-TEK]

MEM-TEK do you know anyway i can disable the radar detection on that cobra as to not get picked up by spectra

I have a STI for my main trips but i have that walmart cobra for testing and i must say it picks up laser really well. Im in canada and they use lidar in the suburbs like mad.

So i want to use this as an only laser detector. but disable the radar so i dont get picked up by spectra. that way if i have to i can wipp it out the window :)

Dont want to risk the sti in plane view

I suppose that you could open up the Cobra and tape over the end of the horn with aluminum duct tape which you can get at any hardware store. This might burn up the LO circuitry though, but who cares since its a Cobra!

[Whistler1]

Who woulda thought that a Crappa detector would generate so many posts. The horn on that 9940 was dinky, no wonder it doesn't pick anything; size matters!!!!


Whistler1 :D:D:D

[Gokhos]

I guess that got your attention! :D

Just for fun, and mainly to test if running a Cobra at the same time as my other RDs would greatly affect the range of my other RDs, I decided to buy the cheapest Cobra sold at my local Walmart. I happily parted with $39 in order to walk out the door with a Cobra ESD 737 which is the Walmart branded equivalent of the ESD 7000 shown below. I do so love to buy radar detectors -- even cheap ones!

http://www.cobra.com/images/productImages/radarDetectors/ESD7000_R.png

So, for $39, what did I expect? Well, I did expect that the ESD would at least have a ramp-up for its audio alerts! It doesn't. In fact, its single glowing LED for either X band or for K/Ka band combined with its non-ramping audio alert reminded me of this POS Road Patrol which was the first RD I bought back in 1983:

http://www.mem-tek.com/radar/vintage_radar_detectors/RoadPatrolXK_22-1605_250x120.jpg

Well, I have to admit that the old Road Patrol on clearance sale set me back by $59 back then in 1983 and that the Cobra was $20 cheaper! I was excited since Cobra claims that this RD is Spectre undetectable. Later I checked their web site and noted the "*" and then read the note that this Cobra RD is only undetectable by the original Spectre I model. Hmm...this seems to me to be more than just a little bit of misleading and false advertising. But I am sure that Cobra's plethora of attorneys approved it.

Before leaving the Walmart I had the cashier cut open the near bullet proof blister pack so that I would be able to extract the Cobra and its accessories once I got to my car. The best thing about this cheap Cobra ESD 737 is its suction cup mount which stuck to the windshield like glue.

My tests of the Cobra against the Walmart K band door openers...

I moved my car and parked approximately 800 feet from the Walmart's K band door openers and then turned on my STi. My STi was happily detecting the door openers with a signal strength of 1 and sometimes 2. I turned off my STi and then turned on my brand new Cobra. What, no alert? I drove towards the door openers. Finally, at roughly 100 feet from the door openers, my brand new Cobra began to alert. I was thoroughly impressed at how well the Cobra ignored these false K band door openers by not detecting them at all until I got pretty close to them, due to the Cobra's poor K band sensitivity. I would say that the Cobra doesn't even need the City button to reduce false alerts. Maybe the City button is there just for looks and perhaps to imply that the Cobra is so sensitive that it needs a City filter?

My tests of how badly the Cobra interfered with my STi...

Well, after the fun and happy horse $h!t of testing the Cobra against the Walmart K band door openers, I decided to see if the Cobra would affect my STi's ability to detect known X and K band falses around town while I headed home. The results were not good!

-- My STi completely failed to alert to the Right Aid K band door openers located very close to the roadway. Normally my STi would detect those door openers at a distance of at least 1000 feet.

-- My STi didn't alert to the multiple K band door openers located at the Food Lion grocery store until I was within 800 feet of them, at which point my STi suddenly alerted and correctly displayed the signal strength as 6 out of 10.

I haven't performed any other additional tests. Yet it is obvious that Cobra RDs, due to Cobra's choice of the primary LO frequency, presents very serious problems for all other RD manufacturers. What do I suggest you do if you are driving along and you see a Cobra in another nearby vehicle? Back off by at least 500 feet in order to allow your RD to have a decent chance of actually detecting police radar while your RD is within or near the "interference cone" of a Cobra.



Hey,

I once used an ESD 737 from WM. I had another RD crash on me and needed something quick so I picked one up while I had a Whistler XTR 695 on order. I figure any RD is better than none and I was not about to spend between $200 and $500 for a temporary RD. I mostly drive in town.

Anyway, after owning several RD over the years starting with an older Bel back in the 90s then a Uniden and now almost exclusively Whistler, I have to report, that the only time that I was ever targeted with laser and was not expected it, the ESD 737 alerted and warned me in time. The thing went off like an old time telephone! It actually shocked me. I was going home from work and took a street I had never taken before due to some bad traffic congestion. It was kind of a long winding street with a series of "S" curves in it with a PSL of 30. There were 3 vehicles traveling in from of me all at a fair distance from each other. Then I noticed the first vehicle brake, the 2nd, and 3rd, all in short order. We were all doing about 28mph due to the winding street and cars parked on both curbs. I was about to accelerate as I went around a slight curve and there he was, a city LEO shooting Laser from the middle of the front yard of a house. Maybe it was his yard, I don't know. I was under the PSL but let up off the gas anyway. Had the gun right on my vehicle and even shot me from behind as I passed. Looked me right in the eye. He saw the RD on my dash. He had boots on that the motorcycle cops wear but I did not see a motorcycle (that's why I think it may have been his yard).

So, as much as I heard negative about Cobra, I have to remember that one saved me. I still have it, retired honorably.

[9500ier]

Don't you have to be speeding for it to be a save??

[MEM-TEK]

Just for grins, and maybe shock, I hopefully will remember to bring my ESD737 to the upcoming Atlanta Jammerfest. Heck, if it alerts to laser really well, then I will find a way to disable its LO board or its emissions.

[Gokhos]

Don't you have to be speeding for it to be a save??

No. Had it not detected and alerted I probably would have accelerated to just over the PSL and in that jurisdiction there probably would have beed a ticket (they have no limitations on how little or how much over the PSL - LEO discretion) They can run enforcement right at a PSL sign and write for violations.

Anyway, the ESD 737 detected the LIDAR before I saw the LEO and alerted. That's all that mattered.

[Gokhos]

I am a little confused....
Does the the ESD 7000 have the 15 band radar detection package?

Only 6. Thats still more than V1/Belscort can come up with. :D

Good one!

[Gokhos]

MEM-TEK do you know anyway i can disable the radar detection on that cobra as to not get picked up by spectra

I have a STI for my main trips but i have that walmart cobra for testing and i must say it picks up laser really well. Im in canada and they use lidar in the suburbs like mad.

So i want to use this as an only laser detector. but disable the radar so i dont get picked up by spectra. that way if i have to i can wipp it out the window :)

Dont want to risk the sti in plane view


Interesting idea.

[TREMEK]

Just for grins, and maybe shock, I hopefully will remember to bring my ESD737 to the upcoming Atlanta Jammerfest. Heck, if it alerts to laser really well, then I will find a way to disable its LO board or its emissions.

Thanks for your input MEM-TEK cant wait to see the video. Ill try to get some video of it reacting to laser. it saved me a few tickets. but the sound was programed in my brain. id hammer the brakes "nose dive" they hide behined light poles wait at bus stops........ so its somtimes really hard to spot them even if your looking. you should see there faces. there like how the hell did he know i was there.



They use laser here so often and in many of the same places i somtimes just have to have a little fun. we all know they have to piont there laser guns at the car they are trying to get a speed reading on. what i do is change lanes multiple times as there targeting me. left right left right wile useing my flasher :)

[xsmatt81]

are they really that crappy? some of the cobra units are over 300 bucks.

I mean at that price, it should work decently, on par with Bel Vectors at least right?

I'm sure there a couple in the line up that work pretty good....you would think

[MEM-TEK]

are they really that crappy? some of the cobra units are over 300 bucks.

I mean at that price, it should work decently, on par with Bel Vectors at least right?

I'm sure there a couple in the line up that work pretty good....you would think

Yeah, you would think. And yet Cobra holds zero -- absolutely zero -- radar detector electronics design patents for anything to do with LO board circuitry. And LO board patents along with firmware is what makes a good radar detector.

[904nm]

The RD community needs to raise some cash to run a PSA on national TV to alert the public to this threat. Heck, having a Cobra is almost like having a STD, but worse. At least you have to have physical contact with a hooker to catch a disease. All you need to do to get a ticket with a Cobra is to be driving next to one! I had no idea that it reduced your range just by being close to one.

Today my vintage Escort 4600 (using it until my Whistler 690-SE arrives in about a week) was going off for a long time along a remote stretch of freeway. The only thing in the area was a pickup driving near me. I saw a RD on his dash. I guess it must have been a Cobra.

I wish there were small EMP (electro magnetic pulse) guns that could be aimed at the dashboard of people with those detectors to eliminate the STD's of the RD community.

I was not aware until I read this post that leaky Cobra detectors near you reduced your range. Interesting information. Why not return the POS Cobra to the store for a refund after doing the test? Wal-Mart takes anything back except ammo right?

[xsmatt81]

well it's a shame. I have an older Cobra Trunking scanner that works fine, I hear their CB's are also good, on par with Uniden etc. It's strange how they can't produce a decent Radar detector in this era.

[venom400]

"Still being disappointed in its abysmal 5 car length detection of Ka, I decided to call Cobra and demanded answers from the snake itself. The snake rattled off "

HAHAHAHA