Just picked up a Cobra SPX 5300 radar detector from Best Buy. It scans 360 degrees around the vehicle, picks up 14 different bands, which claims to be almost every band used by emergency/police vehicles, and cost under $100.

I positioned it low on the windshield, which after reviewing multiple websites claims to be the optimal positioning for a radar detector of this type.

I would like to hear everyone's opinion on whether they have worked out for you or not. I'm sure we will hear both sides in this thread.

Thanks!

 

I have had my Escort 9500ix for a couple of months now and it's saved me a total of two times. Mind you those two times I would have been speeding enough to get a cops attention.

Cons, if you do get pulled over and the officer sees you have a radar detector, your warning just went out the window.

 

A good radar detector can be a very effective tool. Unfortunately, Cobra doesn't fall into the category of "good detector". They lie to you right on the box - they claim to cover 14 bands but there aren't 14 bands to cover.

Here is their list:
RADAR
1 - X band
2 - K band
3 - Ka Superwide
4 - Ku band
5 - VG-2
6 - Spectre I
7 - Spectre IV+

LIDAR (Laser)
8 - LTI 20-20
9 - Ultra Lyte
10 - ProLaser
11 - ProLaser III
12 - Stalker LIDAR
13 - Speedlaser

Other
14 - SAS Safety Alert System

1, 2 and 3 are legitimate radar bands. 4 is also a legitimate band that is currently only used in Europe although it might be adopted by US police in the future. 5, 6 and 7 are radar detector detector (RDD) models - they are used by police to determine if you have a detector but they are not "bands" and they are not actually detected by the Cobra (it is shielded to prevent the RDD from detecting it - of course if it is sitting up on your dash then that's a moot point).

8 through 13 are LIDAR gun models that all operate with a 905 nanometer wavelength (infrared) so all of them together are really only one "band".

Finally, SAS really is a band but it was invented by Cobra and is not available on any other make. The more common safety warning radar system is SWS (Safety Warning System) which is supported by all the other major brands of detectors. The ideas is that emergency vehicles, construction zones, etc. can be set up with a SWS radar emitter that will display a warning message on your detector. Unfortunately, the idea never got much traction so it isn't used much.

I have always had a detector in my car and I haven't had a ticket in over 40 years. That's not because the detector lets me speed with impunity but because I use it to remind me to always keep an eye on my speed. I never go more than 10mph over the limit and only when it's safe to do so. Don't forget that you can be tracked with VASCAR or simple pacing by a police vehicle and no detector in the world would help.

 

I think once you're passed your teenage years, you don't get warnings anymore. I haven't gotten a warning for anything as far as I can remember, so I'll stick with the radar.

 

Why doesn't cobra fall under a "good" detector? I tested it out last night and it was working very well. As long as it tells me there is a police vehicle ahead, and shows me when there is a cop taking speed limits, that is all I want. As far as all the other stuff goes, warning me of a construction zone and not letting the cops know I have a radar (which I don't think cops go around looking for people with radar -- atleast not in the inner city (where I live)).. I'm not too interested in those things as they don't matter much.

That thing was working so good last night. I'd definitely put it in the "good" category at the least.

Thanks for the information!

 

Generally, Cobra detectors don't get good ratings because of lack of range, lack of signal separation (actual radar from nearby frequencies) and too many false alerts. The acknowledged best detectors come from Bel, Escort and Valentine but all are considerably more than $100.

A Cobra for under $100 is not a "bad" detector but when you have used a cheap detector and then stepped up to the next level, the performance difference is nothing short of amazing. If the Cobra is all you need and you can stand all the false alerts then it's a good purchase.

 

Ka band tells you a cop is there, k tells you a cop might be there. If you get hit with laser in alot cases then they are looking at you. Bel and Escort are the same now, but they do have the two brands. I have a Bel STi magnum, it was more than 100$. It has good detection range. The new Escorts are nice. They have the App for smart phones that works. If an other driver is running the app and gets a KA or laser hit, it is reported to the cloud, then you can see it on your phone.

 

personally I see it as a scam, if the radar detector (especially in cases of Lidar) is detecting the cop then the cop has already detected you.

Be smart, learn where the cops sit at and DON'T speed inside city limits.

to the guy speaking about warnings, I've only been pulled over for speeding once and got a written warning on that and that was when I was a teen, I have yet to get hit with a real speeding ticket, thats not to say I don't get harassed by the new cops every once and a while driving home from work @11PM, but it always them making up an excuse to run my license by saying I swerved over the center line or rolled through a stop sign, which I didn't do and they know it which is why when they see I'm clean they let me go. But, right now with the deer population being what it is speeding would just be stupid.

 

No, a good radar detector will alert you long before an LEO using radar can get a fix on your speed. Radar waves spread in every direction and reflect off most everything so you pick up the signal as they target other vehicles far ahead of you.

Even POP radar (which uses extremely short pulses) is detectable because a POP reading is not admissible in court so it is used only to determine if it's worth clocking with regular radar. The end result is that as long as you aren't the only one on the road going fast, they will still be using K band or Ka band to check other drivers so your detector will warn you.

LIDAR is a different situation. You're right - if your detector alerts for laser and you were speeding, pull over and wait for the ticket. The beam is so narrow that there is no appreciable scatter for your detector to pick up from other cars being targeted. Fortunately, laser guns are very expensive and they can only be used under certain circumstances. For example, they must be stationary and they don't work well in inclement weather (rain, fog, snow, etc.). They can be used at night but most police forces avoid that due to concerns of flashing a bright light into traffic so most are restricted to daytime use. So you are still much more likely to encounter radar than laser.

The other reason laser isn't gaining popularity is that radar detector use is way down from what it was 20 years ago so the police can generate plenty of revenue using ordinary radar without the expense and hassles of laser. The technology war between speed traps and radar detector capabilities is winding down simply due to lack of interest.

 

Well I know it's not a scam because two different times my detector went off and half a mile down the road there was a cruiser behind some bushes at the bottom of a hill waiting to catch someone.

Also detectors are evolving now not just providing information on radio frequencies nearby, I find the GPS functionality of the 9500ix very ingenious. Not only does it autolearn and lockout false signals but it alerts you to locatios with speed traps, red light cameras and speed cameras. Detectors won't make you invincible, but it is nice having someone(or something) watching out for you.

 

I completely agree. Whoever said they're a scam should try one out just one time and the detector will prove it that they are not. My detector proved that to me my first night. This isn't some complicated piece of technology we are talking about here. In this day and age, I'd think we got this process down with radar detectors. Hell, they probably cost 5 bucks to make.

 

Or just be a good driver and watch yourself. No Offense I get what your saying I just don't like the idea of relying on technology to watch out for my driving, I personally feel things like that allow people to be crappier drivers, for example if you need Parallel Park Assist, Backup Collision Prevention, or that collision prevention stuff then maybe you should go to driving school because you clearly can't drive and shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car.

anyway back on topic, back in my teen years several friends had them on there cars and they would always go off when driving by the automatic doors of the grocery store I worked at and personally I find the beeps annoying, glad to see they have some capable of learning false positives but personally they look worse then having some big NAV unit hanging from the windshield to me.

 

They don't have to...


My old Passport SR7 in the Trans Am.


My current Escort QI45 in the Mustang.

 

Honestly, I think it makes me be more aware and makes me more nervous to speed, because you are hearing beeps warning you that there are emergency vehicles around the area you are in. If they were completely fail-safe and caught every single police vehicle while driving, then I would go fast everywhere and wait for the beep, but because we all know they aren't perfect we still know there is a chance they may not be picking everything up/knowing every single time a police vehicle is around the corner. I guess both sides could be argued, but the people that use radar detectors as an excuse to drive as fast as they want everywhere are pretty ignorant in the first place.

 

Dude, you have VERY nice set ups for your radar. Damn!

 

I liken driving without one to pulling out, 85% effective. But I got a V1 and I run Waze on tablet mounted to the dash. 45 in a 45 is not always an option. I'm also not trying to set any speed records though.

 

I use a basic Bel 955 detector and Waze nearly every time I drive. I'll admit, the radar detector doesn't really do nearly as much as it once did. They saved me many times in my younger days. Waze reports are actually quite a bit more helpful for me. Of course, I know where to look and keep a constant watch. I haven't gotten pulled over in probably more than 10 years.

I once clocked the distance my radar detector picked up a signal from a radar gun mounted on one of those construction signs. It was a somewhat hilly area, although the sign was on top of one of the hills. And the road is lined with big trees. It was on my way to work, and I confirmed the distance more than once. I picked up the signal 3 miles away. YMMV, of course, and that's not normal.

 

I always thought they needed to be in the windshield area. Is there an adapter or you could put it just anywhere inside the vehicle?

 

He just has a remote display. The receiver is probably mounted somewhere on the front of the car.

 

Yes, remote mount radar detectors take some work installing because the actual detector goes at the front of the car (usually behind the grille) while the control head is mounted inside on the dash. In my Mustang, I just mounted the detector behind the grille but in the Trans Am I had to use a little ingenuity because it has no grille. You can see the detector below the front plate filler panel: