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Got one in late 70's. I don't remember the brand, but that thing was about 3"x3"x4"! It was HUGE! It had a small speaker, a hole actually, in the top center. I remember when automatic door openers got prolific I just put it on the shelf. I finally threw it out a year or so ago. This is about what I had minus the on/off switch and "mode" selection:
Before auto doors started appearing everywhere, were there any X band falses, or was it like Ka band is today (if it alerts, it's most likely a LEO).
LOL
you dont get cobra non-Leo alerts? I do all the time from those nasty cobra's.
X band non-leo alerts where far between in those days. If I remember right, some non-Leo alerts where mainly from point to point microwave transmissions.
Take care,
Spin
OMG! I had one of those too!!! Some protection on X band against the ever powerful MR-7. I got my first RD in 1979. It was a Road Patrol (Radio Shack) XK. Not bad for a passive unit. It was actually better than the Micro Scan. X band predominated for awhile. The Kustom MR7 did not have instant on, but shortly thereafter the K-55 X band came out. It was low powered, had instant on and was harder to detect. But the CMI Escort (thanks to Mike V) made quick work of the K-55.Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc
Got one in late 70's. I don't remember the brand, but that thing was about 3"x3"x4"! It was HUGE! It had a small speaker, a hole actually, in the top center. I remember when automatic door openers got prolific I just put it on the shelf. I finally threw it out a year or so ago. This is about what I had minus the on/off switch and "mode" selection:
There were plenty of false alerts, but they were all X band and the passive RDs could not pick them up as far away.
K band was being used more and more in the early 80s. The GUL Micro Scan was horrible against K band, specifically the Kustom KR-11 K band radar. It could only pick up the KR-11 within a 200-300 ft. The Radio Shack was not so good against it either. That was when I invested in the CMI Escort. Needless to say, it was a night and day difference! It picked up the door openers from a longer distance, but that was the price for good sensitivity! My first X band trap with it was a Wisconsin State Trooper running an MR-7, and I picked it up 3-4 miles away!
Constant on X band! Life was good!
GTO_04
What caused X and K falses in the late 70's/early 80's?
When did door openers start to appear a lot?
Hello,
Wasn't it funny, CMI made the Speedgun for LEO's and made Escort detectors for the civilian population to find radar traps.
Take care,
Spin
X band constant was the weapon of choice. Not very difficult to detect whatsoever. 2 miles, was I bet an average detection range, sometimes 6 or 7 miles+ on a straight away with some slight hills and curves. My first Uniden (I cant remember what model or anything) and then my uniden RD-9 were great detectors for the era. Cobra Trapshooter got the job done for a while, then Bel 745sti and finally and shortly after the V-1. I had the original V-1 until 1999 with one upgrade at about 1997.
When K band guns came into the picture, and also when I got the Trapshooter it got a little tougher to detect some guns, but with the Trapshooter it still was a piece of cake and there was plenty of warning. It wasn't long after, Ka and V-1 came to be. The V-1 ate K for lunch and Ka wasn't, for quite some time, wasn't a major threat.
Now it can be pretty tough some times and in some situations to get good range and decent warnings, even with the top three.
X2! It is hard for many on this forum to believe that at one time, Uniden did actually make good RDs. And the RD-9XL was very good! And yes the original Cobra Trapshooter (the one with the big warning light bulb, like the Escort) was pretty good too. And the BEL Micro Eye XKR-VIII was excellent on X and K band.
It was Ka band that really set the RD manufacturers back. BEL's first attempts at Ka band were terrible. I must have gone through at least 10 745 STi units. At that time BEL just replaced faulty RDs, they did not repair them. At least the 745 had a two year warranty. Well I got to use that warranty, a lot! I have never seen an RD false so much especially on Ka band, and in the middle of nowhere with no radar or even other cars around. It would just false on it's own! Also, the X and K band sensitivity on the 745 was very poor. It was the terrible performance of the 745 that drove me to spend $400 on the V1, and I was glad that I did. It was no contest, V1 was far superior, and I had to wait 30 days to get it because it was on backorder. The 800 series (845, 850, and 855) were not better than the 745. Finally BEL got it right with the 900 series, starting with the 970, 980 and 985.
GTO_04
When I started RDing in the late 80s/early 90s, X band was always false (door openers etc.) and K band was always a LEO. So I ignored X (ran in city mode all the time) and slowed down when I got the K "brap".
Life got a lot more complicated when K band door openers started to appear. :roll:
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
As far as I know this is an URBAN myth. CMI, that's Cincinnati Microwave Inc. never made RADAR guns for speed enforcement. CMI made satellite receivers, radar detectors, they had a cell phone line (Motorola OEM). Later CMI made Cellular Digital Packet Data modems (CDPD) and cordless phones along with their Radar/Laser detector lines. The Cobras that worked so well in the "old" days, were made by CMI under contract to Cobra. MPH made the "Speedgun" and it's still one of their trademarked retail names.
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