Cobra "bike" radar detector

[Blakamin]

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]

cheers for that man - i was keen to get one, but now????

[Storm]

Cheers for passing on the word.

[Quasievil]

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]

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....

[Quasievil]

Well they are better than the whistler crap

[Hooks]

I have good one that requires no power and hasn't let me down yet !! .... I seem to be able to smell 'em !!
I haven't had a speeding ticket yet although I got the closest I ever want to be the other weekend with HerB4 and I don't do the slow thing well so I have been very lucky so far....

[Coyote]

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

Thanks for the words up

[Blakamin]

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]

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]

Man with radar detector....rides at the front!

[Blakamin]

Man with radar detector....rides at the front!

Unless it's in the back-pack

[Zapf]

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]

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]

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.