clearbox's Full Review: Cobra Electronics ESD 9850 Radar Detector
If you are looking for a "talking" radar/laser detector which features some of the newest technologies on the market - then the Cobra 9850 should suit your needs.
Cobra is claiming this to be the world's first 9-Band radar/laser detector. It picks up some of the newest speed detection devices such as Ultra Lyte Laser and Pro Laser signals.
This is the first Cobra radar/laser detector I have purchased. I switched over from a Whistler detector which I was very happy with.
I believe one should upgrade to a newer model radar detector every other year or so, just to be on the safe side. Speed detection devices are constantly being updated as in the case of the Ultra Lyte and Pro Laser. I was not even aware of these technologies until I purchased the Cobra 9850.
Being the "tech guy" I am... I wanted a radar/laser detector which can talk to you. The advantage of this is that one instantly knows what type of signal one is being monitored with. For example: If one comes across the Ka Superwide signal - the detector will announce "Be careful! Ka alert" and sounds a distinct audible alarm for that particular frequency. The signal strength is also shown on a scale from 1 to 5 on the very crisp digital display.
The Cobra 9850 also features VG-2 alert and immunity making it invisible to radar detector detectors. One neat thing about this Cobra model is that once it detects a VG-2 signal - it will continue to work unlike my Whistler model which completely shut off for a minute or so.
Besides detecting the 4 standard radar signals - X Band, K Band, Ka Superwide, and VG-2. LTI 20-20 Laser, Ultra Lyte Laser, and ProLaser can be detected in a 360 degree radius. Safety Alert and Strobe Alert frequencies are also monitored (see below):
Safety Alert Traffic Warning System - the Cobra 9850 can alert you to emergency vehicles, road construction, school buses, trains and other vehicles/hazards equipped with Safety Alert transmitters.
Strobe Alert System - Supposedly only Cobra radar detectors can alert you to over 50,000 emergency vehicles which are equipped with strobe transmitters that control traffic signals at intersections.
If coming across on of the safety signals mentioned above... the detector will announce for example: "Be careful! Emergency Vehicle approaching" etc.
Another neat feature about this radar/laser detector is its built-in electronic compass that shows the direction you are driving in whenever no radar/laser signal is being received.
The Cobra 9850 comes with your standard mounting bracket for the windshield, power cord, velcro double stick tape and manual. The only thing that was missing out of this combination was the visor mounting bracket that I came accustomed to with my Whistler radar/laser detector. It allows you to mount the detector out of sight from prying eyes and prevents you from having to reach far to adjust settings or turn the unit on and off.
All in all...I am very pleased with my purchase! If you want to impress your friends, or just need a high quality radar/laser detector - seriously consider purchasing the Cobra 9850.
Summary of Features:
9-Band detection (4 radar, 3 Laser, and 2 Safety Systems).
10 Visual alerts.
10 Audio alerts.
Text signal strength indicator.
DigiView Display.
Auto Mute.
City/Highway switch.
12 Volt power cord / windshield mounting bracket / velcro tape (for dash mounting).
LaserEye 360 degree detection.
Voice Alert.
Electronic Compass.
9-band radar detector with 8-point digital compass Detects 4 radar signals, 3 laser signals, and 2 safety systems 6 visual alerts and 10 audio alerts ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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