Cobra ESD-6500 Radar Detector (another tidbit by a motorcycle cop)
Written: Mar 18 '01 (Updated Mar 19 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Effectiveness: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Loud alerts, beautifully designed text display. Sensitive to both X/K traffic radar
Cons: Extremely weak performance on the Superwide Ka traffic radar band.
The Bottom Line: Don't plan on this product giving you immunity!
|
|
|
| tejones's Full Review: Cobra ESD 6500 Radar Detector |
I retired several months ago from a major metropolitan police department, having served in the Traffic Division as a motorcycle sergeant and traffic lieutenant. After 28 years in law enforcement, especially in the radar vs. radar detector end of the business, I’ve learned more than a few things about both technologies. Smart speed cops have always found it necessary to learn about the technology designed to defeat their efforts, plus I have a unique perspective from spending years on the display side of the radar unit. Much of what you read on police radar FAQs and websites is totally inaccurate.
Over the years I was able to receive and road test a good many models of radar detectors. These were tested against our K and Superwide Ka radar units. (our X-band equipment was retired years ago). I borrowed many of these radar detectors from the evidence storage division, which has several hundred models languishing around on the shelves awaiting disposition. I also have some friends in the pawnbroker business who would sell radar detectors to me at or near their loan cost (if the price was piddling enough), and for the expensive models, I would simply borrow one for a day or so from local retail stores or truck stops.
At the present, I have a cardboard box full of detectors that range from the Super Snoopers of the 1970’s to some of the more modern models. I could have killed for a chance to review a Valentine One, but I’ve only laid eyes on one, and the motorist wasn’t inclined to let me borrow it (I know, I’m a little bit of a moocher, but always honest; I would have returned it!).
If I keep writing radar detector reviews for Epinions, you’ll notice that I don’t spend much time glowing over all the neat features that this model or that model has. I have found that each generation of radar detectors have fairly common features anyway. Besides, features mean nothing in a radar detector when you pause to realize why you bought it. Radar detection is a business of performance, and for a radar detector that translates into little more than sensitivity! The comedy group Pinkard & Bowden once recorded a song that contained the lyrics “I’d rather hear a fat girl fart than a pretty boy sing”, which is a rather crude but very eloquent statement that applies to buying radar detectors. Features and appearance means nothing, and even price is not your best guide to buying. With every speeding ticket counting against your insurance rates and driving record, you don’t want a pretty boy on your windshield or dash. A radar detector is not a fashion accessory, so don't shop for one like you do your clothes!
First, you need to know the enemy; and just what is the electronic enemy of today’s Lead Foot Club? First, you can all but forget about X-Band traffic radar. This dinosaur was the first radar beast that appeared on American highways way back in the 1950’s. Later radar models have virtually replaced X-Band equipment, and nearly all of the X-band signals your detector receives will come from 10 gigahertz automatic door openers. The radar detector manufactures are aware of this is well; that’s why they added a “city” mode to their products in an attempt to reduce the number of false alerts. If you do run across a true X-Band traffic radar these days, it most likely will be a battered old MPH K55 or S-80 hand-me-down. Even the cheapest flea market purchased radar detector will do an excellent job of detecting X-Band.
Second generation K-Band, since first coming onto the speed enforcement scene in the early 1980’s is still with us, and is the most widely used traffic radar nationwide. Like most new radar technology, it was the T-Rex of the highway for several years before being tamed considerably by improved radar detector circuitry. Radar detectors do vary on their sensitivity to K-Band traffic radar, but every detector manufactured in the past few years seem to have good to excellent sensitivity on this band.
The real radar threat is the low powered, frequency shifting, and exceptionally lethal Superwide Ka Band. About a third of all traffic radar now on the highways operates on this band, and more law enforcement agencies are upgrading to this technology every day (for a more complete Ka Band description, please read my review on the Bel 980 radar detector). It affords the average radar equipped motorist with the maximum opportunity to show his or her drivers license to a uniformed stranger, especially so since nearly all of the radar detector industry can’t seem to design a product that will cool the Ka’s heels. If you buy and use a radar detector, you must use one that has the best possible Ka performance, all other things being equal.
NOTE: LIDAR (or laser) speed detection is another technology that is not commonly encountered. It is expensive for agencies to buy, is damaged easily by bumps and bangs, does not work at all except at near head-on traffic approach angles, and is literally exhausting for an officer to use. I have extensive experience operating the Kustom ProLaser and LTI 20-20 traffic lasers, but can’t find an Epinions category that fits such an article.
The Cobra ESD-6500 is a discount store/truck stop/pawnshop radar detector. It has a modest price, and like all other detectors it mounts on the windshield and plugs into the cigarette lighter. It has unique tone alerts for different radar bands, and a large text display that shows the mode of operation as well as the type of radar being encountered. The large text is especially helpful if you are farsighted or need reading glasses as I do. I actually could read the text without my glasses! The adjustable volume alerts are loud, and can be heard with the car windows down, or the stereo on.
Tested against our Kustom HR-12 K-Band traffic radar, the ESD-6500 made a good showing. Detection distance on the interstate near the airport was just less than two miles line-of-sight. Further, the little Cobra could detect the K-Band over any hill, or around any curve, although the time between first alert and the radar coming into view was only two or three seconds. Still, the warning time was adequate. I presumed the X-Band sensitivity was fine as well, since the detector never missed a door opener that passed it by!
The Ka-Band was a different story, and I wondered why the 6500 is even being sold as a Ka Band detector. There was absolutely no standoff distance over hills when using this radar detector. When the radar was setup over the crest of any hill, the 6500 would start its Ka warning brap only after the radar antenna came into full view; and not a second sooner. Straight-line encounters were dismal as well; just a little more than 800 feet. In fact, the police car equipped with the ESD-6500 was being clocked long before radar detector finally woke up.
If the ESD-6500 was the only radar detector being made, Ka traffic radar manufacturers could save money on production costs since the ECM (instant on) circuitry could be eliminated. Like many competing products, the Cobra fails to measure up to the Ka Band threat.
The only possible effective use I can think of for this product would be exclusive duty in a local area where the cops use K-Band exclusively. Even then, I wouldn’t drive much over the speed limit, and would be continuously hoping that the police hadn’t upgraded their equipment since the last time I waved at them.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
tejones
|
|
Member: Thomas Jones
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 11 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.