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Blakamin
9th January 2005, 12:27
About a month ago, I felt the need for a toy... mainly coz my bikes favourite cruising speed is 110-120...
So I went and investigated cheap radar detectors and came up with the cobra ESD-9870... complete with earphone socket. $220 from a local importer...
Well, I went and made a lead with a switch, and nearly got to a mounting bracket until I decided to test it!
I took it out in the work van (2 ciggie lighters) and tested it with the old Uniden that is in there.... hmmmm, less false alarms but the fact you cant turn off x-band drives you nuts!
OK... trip to Wanganui to watch the racing... camera vans parked in all sorts of places... not a beep... laser... not a beep.... HP car.. YAY, some friggin noise!!!
I have given it a couple of trials on the bike, and when it goes off, theres no need for the earphone... I'm sure the cops could even hear it!
But it still wont pick up cameras, which is the reason I bought it in the first place.
Today, the day before it goes back for a refund (already organised, big thanks to Digital Innovations, when I asked to change to a whistler, they suggested a refund as they are about the same) I decide to take it out in the van for 1 final test....
I see a mobile camera (van mounted)... "OK, I'll give it this one last chance to redeem itself" so on with the hazard lights, pull over 50 metres behind the van and point the "radar detector" right at the van... NOTHING!!!!!
played with all the settings... nothing....
the Uniden wouldn't shut up (reason I noticed the camera van) so I had to unplug it!!

DO NOT BUY A COBRA 9870!!!!
thank you
(tomorrow I'm buying some new boots)

avgas
9th January 2005, 12:31
cheers for that man - i was keen to get one, but now????

Storm
9th January 2005, 12:51
Cheers for passing on the word.

Quasievil
9th January 2005, 12:52
About a month ago, I felt the need for a toy... mainly coz my bikes favourite cruising speed is 110-120...
So I went and investigated cheap radar detectors and came up with the cobra ESD-9870... complete with earphone socket. $220 from a local importer...
Well, I went and made a lead with a switch, and nearly got to a mounting bracket until I decided to test it!
I took it out in the work van (2 ciggie lighters) and tested it with the old Uniden that is in there.... hmmmm, less false alarms but the fact you cant turn off x-band drives you nuts!
OK... trip to Wanganui to watch the racing... camera vans parked in all sorts of places... not a beep... laser... not a beep.... HP car.. YAY, some friggin noise!!!
I have given it a couple of trials on the bike, and when it goes off, theres no need for the earphone... I'm sure the cops could even hear it!
But it still wont pick up cameras, which is the reason I bought it in the first place.
Today, the day before it goes back for a refund (already organised, big thanks to Digital Innovations, when I asked to change to a whistler, they suggested a refund as they are about the same) I decide to take it out in the van for 1 final test....
I see a mobile camera (van mounted)... "OK, I'll give it this one last chance to redeem itself" so on with the hazard lights, pull over 50 metres behind the van and point the "radar detector" right at the van... NOTHING!!!!!
played with all the settings... nothing....
the Uniden wouldn't shut up (reason I noticed the camera van) so I had to unplug it!!

DO NOT BUY A COBRA 9870!!!!
thank you
(tomorrow I'm buying some new boots)

The 9870 is a good radar mate yours must be faulty either that or you have fryed it when wiring it up to your bike ?

Blakamin
9th January 2005, 13:02
The 9870 is a good radar mate yours must be faulty either that or you have fryed it when wiring it up to your bike ?
put it in the van for a week before it even ended up on the bike... no different... and the x-band.... :ar15: :ar15: :ar15:

Quasievil
9th January 2005, 13:23
Well they are better than the whistler crap

Hooks
9th January 2005, 14:17
I have good one that requires no power and hasn't let me down yet !! .... I seem to be able to smell 'em !! :ar15: :2thumbsup :shake:
I haven't had a speeding ticket yet although I got the closest I ever want to be the other weekend with HerB4 :yeah: and I don't do the slow thing well so I have been very lucky so far.... :ride:

Coyote
9th January 2005, 14:30
I see a mobile camera (van mounted)... "OK, I'll give it this one last chance to redeem itself" so on with the hazard lights, pull over 50 metres behind the van and point the "radar detector" right at the van... NOTHING!!!!!
played with all the settings... nothing....

Flamin Bloody Hell :angry:

Thanks for the words up

Blakamin
9th January 2005, 14:59
Well they are better than the whistler crap
they said it was about the same... fuck it, I'm goin to see WT and buy some new boots!!!!
Still can't believe the camera thing tho, specially when it DID pick up HP cars from a distance!!!

k14
9th January 2005, 18:51
Yeah well i think that for radar detectors the old saying "you get what you pay for" applies quite well.

I've got my bel 985 and would bet my life that it works everytime at giving me ample notice of approaching radars and speed cameras. Although you still can't trust a radar 100% to stop you getting caught, has saved me on multiple occasions so far.

sels1
9th January 2005, 19:29
Man with radar detector....rides at the front!

Blakamin
9th January 2005, 20:40
Man with radar detector....rides at the front!
Unless it's in the back-pack :yes:

Zapf
9th January 2005, 22:52
the cameras radar is lower powered and it has a very narrow beam. The guide line for the car / van operators is to angle it across the road, hence there is very little of that beam travelling down the road, and at best your detector will pickup reflections of that beam off cars or objects.

I had a V1 and that will just pickup cameras when you are almost upon them. Where as HP cars it'll pick them up over and beyond the hill / corner.

so just FYI. :)

good luck with sorting it.

Blakamin
10th January 2005, 08:11
the cameras radar is lower powered and it has a very narrow beam. The guide line for the car / van operators is to angle it across the road, hence there is very little of that beam travelling down the road, and at best your detector will pickup reflections of that beam off cars or objects.

I had a V1 and that will just pickup cameras when you are almost upon them. Where as HP cars it'll pick them up over and beyond the hill / corner.

so just FYI. :)

good luck with sorting it.
Thanks for that... I woulda thought if the uniden could do it, mine shoulda!!! :disapint:

Lou Girardin
11th January 2005, 11:58
Valentine1, up to 400 metres approaching cameras - 200 metres going away.
Best I've had on Stalker is 6-7 km. (Straight, flat road)
Sorry, I forgot, detectors are a waste of money. He He.

madboy
11th January 2005, 12:33
I used to religiously run radar detectors up until a couple years ago - in cars mind you. Had everything up to a top-line Bel at one point. They definitely picked up radars and camera vans (or wagons as they were then!!).

Instant-on radar gets you every time (unless they're pinging someone else first). The cameras you only get if, as mentioned above, it's got something to scatter off or drive past it! The laser detection basically tells you you've just been pinged. Your best hope is a lazy cop who leaves the radar on - then you get them miles away generally. Okay, so it does save you more often than not, can't deny that.

But quite frankly by the time I hid the thing everytime I left the car, or every time I'd get pulled over - cops have little mercy for a dashmount!, I just couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

As I get older I drive progressively slower and slower anyway (although that doesn't seem to translate to the bike...) so I just accept the average one ticket a year I get as a cost of motoring, just like Wofs and regos!!

The final nail in the coffin was when I lent the Bel to a farking mate... that was xmas 2002. And do you think I can find the bastard? Best $900 of mine he ever spent!!

madboy
11th January 2005, 12:36
My 2 cents - Jammer :Punk:

As soon as I can find one of those that actually works (hope Cobra don't make those too!!) in my price range... yeah baby!!

k14
11th January 2005, 12:40
Yeah well a jammer will only block laser so you still need something to protect you from radar. In my experiences I have never found a cop that is using instant on radar. Ive had my 985 for over 18 months now and if I have ever passed a cop with instant on he must have been doing in on the car infront. So yes I do agree that a radar is useless against instant on, I don't think that many cops use it.

I haven't had a ticket since I got the radar but I wouldnt say that its only from using the radar. Driving sensibly is the best way to avoid being done. My radar stops me getting done on those very "dangerous" pieces of road (you know, the 5km straights with passing lanes) when I am passing.

Blakamin
11th January 2005, 13:28
I haven't had a ticket since I got the radar but I wouldnt say that its only from using the radar. Driving sensibly is the best way to avoid being done. My radar stops me getting done on those very "dangerous" pieces of road (you know, the 5km straights with passing lanes) when I am passing.
they were the reason I wanted it... I like passing lanes in all vehicles... specially around Kapiti where everyone does farqin 80 until a passing lane... then its the speed limit... forcing me to 130 - 140 to go around the F*(*ers.... and 30% of the time, theres the radar......
Oh, and they try to get me a fair bit up my street where I do 55 max.... they never get the boy-racers that do 80 odd down here tho coz the radars are only out on this stretch at 5-6pm.... :mad:
I'm thinking of putting up a billboard (coz more cage drivers read them than road signs)......
THE FUCKING LIMIT ON THIS ROAD IS 100km/h...NOT 80, NOT 60, ONE FUCKING HUNDRED..... DO IT OR FUCK OFF
or writing it on the road itself... and everything else they might look at...