About Cobra Electronics Inc.
Cobra Electronics Corporation is a
leading global manufacturer of radar detectors, navigation and
communication products with a track record of delivering innovative and
award-winning products. Building upon its leadership position in the
fields of radar detectors, GMRS/FRS two-way radios and Citizens Band radio industries, Cobra identified new growth opportunities and successfully expanded into the GPS/ mobile navigation
and marine markets. The Consumer Electronics Association, Forbes and
Deloitte & Touche have all recently recognized Cobra for the
company's innovation and industry leadership achievements.
How does 360 degree laser detection work?
A Cobra radar detector equipped
for 360° laser detection works by receiving the laser signal through a
periscope on top of the radar detector. The periscope enables the laser
signal to be received from any direction. Additionally, there is a
separate laser detector which looks forward, so the 360° periscope on
the radar detector needs a clear view only to the sides and rear.
What is VG2 alert and Spectre alert?
All radio receivers emit a low
level signal, even a simple AM/FM radio. Radar detectors are radio
receivers, and they too will emit a low level signal. The VG2 detector
can identify these emissions and warn the police officer that a vehicle
has a radar detector.
If you do not live in Virginia,
Washington DC, or Canada, and you are not a commercial driver, then it
is perfectly legal for you to use a radar detector. You do not need to
worry about VG2 or Spectre.
A radar detector that is "VG2
undetectable" has special circuitry that prevents it from being
detected by a VG2 detector. But these detectors can be detected by the
newer Spectre.
These Cobra models are invisible to both VG2 and Spectre1: All XRS-series
What are SmartMute and IntelliMute?
IntelliMute is a revolutionary patent-pending Cobra system that reduces needless alerts. Here’s how it works:
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Basically,
the alternator and the spark plugs create noise pulses on the
electrical system in your car. Your Cobra detector can read these
pulses through the cigarette lighter and monitor the engine speed.
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You can then program the detector for a particular engine speed.
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If
the speed is lower than your programmed setpoint, you don’t get
bothered by audio alerts (you will, however, still get visual alerts on
the detector’s display). Even if you’re clocked by real police radar it
doesn’t matter, because you’re not speeding. You don’t need to be
bothered by an audio alert.
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If you drive faster and get above the setpoint, then you will get regular audio alerts.
The idea is to minimize alerts, so that your detector only beeps when it’s really important.
What is POP Mode?
Some of the latest radar guns have
a new mode called POP mode. In this mode the radar gun sends out a very
brief pulse, shorter than 1/10th of a second. The police officer uses
POP mode to sample your speed. You could call it “stealth mode” on the
radar gun, because the typical radar detector will not alert on such a
short pulse.
Although POP mode gives the
officer a reading of your speed, it is not good enough for issuing a
citation. After sampling your speed the officer must then decide if he
wants to clock you in the normal way. You have no advance warning that
you are about to be clocked!
Cobra models have a new feature called POP Detect. In this mode the detector
specifically looks for the brief pulse of a POP radar gun. The POP
Detect feature can be turned on and off, since it will make the
detector a bit more sensitive to false alerts. But it definitely gives
you another method of providing an advance warning.
What is SmartPower?
SmartPower is a unique feature introduced on Cobra models. These smart detectors can determine whether the engine is
running and automatically turn themselves off and on.
If the engine is not running, the detector will automatically power down after 30 minutes.
When you start your car, the detector will automatically turn back on!
You will never have to worry with
turning it off after leaving your car, or even more important,
forgetting to turn it back on when you drive.
What is Strobe Alert?
Many cities have been using a special sensor mounted on traffic
lights, which detects a special strobe light on emergency vehicles.
When an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, the light turns
green. This stops cross-traffic and allows the emergency vehicle to
pass through the intersection. The newest Cobra radar detectors can
detect the special strobe light, and warn you of an approaching
emergency vehicle. Not all emergency vehicles are equipped with the
special strobe light.
What is Safety Alert?
Safety Alert is a revolutionary breakthrough in electronic
technology designed to save lives. Every day we hear of motorists,
police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers who are killed due
to accidents involving emergency vehicles and the public. With today's
cars being so quiet, motorists cannot hear the sirens of emergency
vehicles until it's too late.
Safety alert is an early warning system designed to alert motorists of nearby emergency vehicles.
Here's how it works: A small
FCC-approved Safety Alert transmitter is installed on the emergency
vehicle. When the emergency lights are switched on, the transmitter
automatically sends a special K-band signal. Every radar detector
around goes off. Your current radar detector, if not equipped to detect
Safety Alert signals, will work by alerting you to a K band signal.
Even better, new intelligent radar
detectors from Cobra Electronics will differentiate between traditional
police radar and Safety Alert signals. When a Safety Alert signal is
broadcast, a dedicated audio and visual warning goes off on the new
intelligent radar detectors. When the emergency vehicle reaches the
scene and parks, a second coded message goes out: Road Hazard. Drivers
with a new intelligent unit are warned to look out for an upcoming
accident scene.
Installation Questions
Where should I mount my radar detector for maximum efficiency?
Mount your radar detector in an area with an unobstructed view of
the road ahead, and if equipped with a 360° laser eye, a clear
unobstructed view of the front, side and rear windows. Please note that
vehicles such as vans without rear windows will not allow reception of
the laser signal from the rear of the vehicle. For maximum efficiency
do not mount the radar detector high up in the blue tinted area of the
window or low down behind the windshield wipers as both of these areas
will interfere with reception of radar and laser signals.
For best operation it is recommend
to mount the detector as low as possible at the windshield (while
avoiding obstructions). It is also important that you mount the unit in
a position where you can quickly view the display screen while not
obstructing your view of the road ahead.
General Questions
Are radar detectors legal in my state?
The use of radar detectors in
passenger vehicles is currently legal in all states with the exception
of Washington D.C. and Virginia. It is illegal to use radar detectors
while being on a military base in all states.
Why does my radar detector alert when there are no police cars in sight?
A radar detector is basically a
microwave receiver. In today's modern world there are many sources of
microwave signals. Automatic door openers at supermarkets, commercial
alarm systems such as those found in banks, and cellular phone antenna
towers all emit signals in the microwave frequency range. In most
cases, the false signal your unit is picking up can be attributed to
one of these causes.
Although systems such as automatic
door openers, security systems and cellular phones operate at a
different frequency than a radar detector, they do produce out of band
stray signals that can cause falsing on your radar detector, mostly in
the X band. Unfortunately, many of these signals are strong enough to
overcome the sophisticated Anti-Falsing system built into your Cobra
Radar detector. You can reduce these false signals, when driving in
urban settings, by placing the unit in the City Mode. Return the unit
to the highway mode when driving in rural areas or on the highway.
Will a radar detector detect a speed camera or photo radar camera?
A radar detector is usually not
equipped to detect speed cameras or photo radar cameras because they do
not use the standard radar and laser methods used by the police.
Cobra's new state-of-the-art XRS-R9G radar detector
is the first radar detector to feature a GPS receiver that alerts the
driver when approaching known speed camera and red light camera
locations.
I lost my manual. Can I get another one?
No problem. Here is a link to download the manual for any of your Cobra Electronics products : http://www.cobra.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=22
