Performance is King

Performance is King



It doesn't matter how many bells and whistles it has, or how stylish it is – if a radar detector doesn't perform, it's not worth owning. – Radar Roy

There are tons of radar detectors out there that are loaded with types of features, they look good on your dash and they are user friendly.

Unfortunately, most of these detectors suck at detecting radar!

Because of this it is important to know and understand the features and specifications of the radar detector you are buying.

Radar/Laser Bands



In North America there are only three radar bands and one laser band police use in traffic enforcement:

X Band: This is the oldest radar band, used by police in N. J. several locations in Ohio, South Dakota (Mount Rushmore) and in Mississippi. Chances are, unless you are in one of those states, you can ignore this alert. False alerts on this band are high to extreme (depending upon detector model and driving location)
K Band: Thirty percent of the radar guns manufactured today use this band. False alerts on this band are moderate
KA Band: Seventy percent of the radar guns manufactured today use this band. False alerts are low to moderate.
Laser: Growing in popularity with police departments nationwide, false alerts are low. When false alerts are encountered, normally they are reflection of bright sunlight, or wind shear monitors at airports or weather stations


What Happened to all Those Other 14 Bands Cobra Says That Are Used?



One of Cobra’s marketing ploys is to slice up these three radar bands and one laser band into 8 bands and then sprinkle in their claims that there detectors can also detect POP radar, Spectre, Strobe Alert and what ever else their marketing department can throw in.

These deceptive practices employed by Cobra, along with their detectors horrible performance, is the main reason I recommend avoiding their products.

False Alerts is the #1 Complaint from Radar Detector Users!



Poor filtering of false alerts is the #1 complaint that I hear from my customers.

A cheap radar detector will alert you to everything from the closest grocery store door opener, to the vehicle with a cheap radar detector.

I experienced this myself during my last run during the coast-to-coast Fireball rally when I was asked to test Cobra’s XRS detector on Interstate 10.

The detector was so annoying that within 15 minutes I unplugged the unit and tossed it out of the window!

You can avoid this common mistake many first time radar detectors make, by spending a few more dollars and getting a higher end detector such as the Escort 8500 X50 or the Bel Pro 300 which both use their ”Smart Filtering” capabilities to filter out most of the false alerts.

Long Range is a Must!



One of the most common tactics police use in traffic radar enforcement is using Instant On mode. (Not to be confused with POP Mode)

Basically what an officer does is lie in wait till he visually sees a vehicle he feels is speeding, then he aims his gun at the vehicle and takes the gun out of standby mode.

Thus if you have a low range radar detector, all it’s doing at this point is telling you to pull over cause you’ve been caught.

Because of this selecting a radar detector that has at least 7 times the capture rate of a police radar gun and having what I call a “rabbit” in front of you is a MUST if you want to avoid getting this type of ticket.

What a rabbit is, is another vehicle that is in front of you going the same speed or driving at slightly faster speed then you are.

When the officer sees and targets your rabbit, your detector will now go off giving you ample time to slow down.