Sun 8 Jul 2007

Cobra XRS R9G Review
Posted by Radar Roy I was first introduced to the new Cobra XRS R9G at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Trade Show in January. The first thing that set me back was all the ooohs and aahs that installers were making about Cobras new remote unit because of the ease of install. I wasnt as impressed even with their new wireless controller, as I didnt feel that by mounting a radar detector to the top of the windshield would put it into the same classification as a remote mounted unit. However I decided to back off until I could actually purchase a retail unit to perform an install and to put the detector through its paces, Im glad I did. A few days prior to Speed Measurement Laboratories 2007 Radar Detector Shoot-Out, I took delivery of the new Cobra unit. I decided to do full install at SML in my Ford F-250 Pick Up and put it through its paces during the Shoot-Out.
I have to admit during and after the install I was very impressed with Cobras ease of install. The package comes with lock strips that you attach to the windshield and to the main unit and GPS antenna. Also the unit comes with a lighter cord and a direct wire cord that you can use to attach to your fuse box. I chose to install the main unit and the GPS antenna to the right side of my rear view mirror and then I ran the power cable down the side pillar to the fuse box. I then plugged in the wireless controller to the lighter to charge, and attached it to the air conditioning vent with the supplied clip. The total time of the install took approximately five minutes.
After the install, we decided to first put the GPS through its paces against the red light cameras in the El Paso area. The XRS R9G does come pre-loaded with a database of enforcement camera locations already programmed into the unit; however the newer El Paso cameras were not in its database. Therefore when we first approached these locations, we simply had to press a few buttons on the controller and the locations were stored. We returned later during the test and the unit did alert us in advance of the approaching marked locations. However we noticed that the unit was not programmed to alert to these locations in the same direction only as the Cheetah and NavAlert GPS units. The same direction feature is nice when there are multiple enforcement cameras in the same area, as the unit will ONLY alert to cameras that you are approaching that are used in the direction that youre approaching from. We then spent some time testing the radar detector capabilities around the El Paso area. We had the Cobra XRS R9G along with Escorts SR7 and Beltronics STi operating, all in highway mode. Normally it is not a good practice to operate multiple detectors at the same time as they can cause interference with each other. However our SR7 was a remote unit with the antenna mounted below the front bumper and the STi is designed not to leak any RF, so we felt that we took the proper precautions. Traveling north on State Route 54 from El Paso, both our STi and the SR7 began alerting to a Ka signal at approximately the same time while the Cobra unit was completely silent. Approximately a half mile away, I noticed the light bar of an El Paso patrol car parked in the left shoulder, a hundred feet beyond a forty five degree turn. The Cobra unit remained silent during this off axis encounter, until we were straight on with the patrol car and within line of sight. This encounter would certainly have earned us a costly citation if we had only relied upon the Cobra unit.
To see if we could increase the sensitivity of the Cobra unit we switched the unit into POP mode. After fifteen minutes of what seemed to be continues false alerts, we decided to then switch POP off and to keep the unit in Highway mode. After the SML test, we decided to keep the Cobra unit in our pick-up for another few more weeks to compare the units overall performance. After returning home, we ran the unit against Scottsdales 101 freeway cameras and other local fixed photo radar and red light cameras in the area. As mentioned Cobras unit does not allow for same direction notification and this feature is almost needed on Scottsdales 101, as there are three cameras on each side of the freeway, for a total of six. During our trip down the 101, the Cobra alerted to all six, even to those on the opposite side. As far as Cobras preprogrammed database, we did find ourselves marking a number of fixed enforcement camera locations as they were not entered into their database. Prior to this review we went to Cobras website to check on availability of updates, but no information was posted. As noted in the El Paso encounter, we again found that the Cobra unit had a difficult time in alerting to off axis encounters on both K and Ka band, and lagged a few seconds behind the SR7 and the STi in all other real world encounters. What disappointed me the most was the high percentage of false alerts and even alerting to the wrong band on several encounters. The ratio of false alerts of the Cobra when compared to the SR7 and STi was almost 50 to 1. In many of these false alert encounters, we even shut off the STi and the SR7 to eliminate any doubt of these detectors interfering with the Cobra unit and while these units were powered off, we still encountered these same false alert signals. In all encounters the Cobra would always indicate the correct band during its initial alert. However we noticed on numerous occasions that the display would then switch to other bands. One K band speed trailer in particular caused the Cobra to first alert to K, but then fluctuate between K, X and even Ka. Cobras suggested MSP is $439.95, placing this detector in the same price category as the Escort 9500i, the STi and the Valentine One. However to compare the Cobras performance to against these higher ended units I can only say this, Cobra has a long way to go. I do admit that after installing and using the Cobra, I have appreciated their revolutionary idea using the mounting the detector in the method that they have chosen. However I did find myself a few times checking under my seats, under the dash and under the floor mats trying to find the remote control head that I misplaced.

I wouldnt find myself recommending this unit to any road warrior and if it is GPS and radar detection that you want, I feel that you have better options to choose from considering either the NavAlert or the GPS Mirror coupled with a good high end detector. Radar Roys Rating - Three Badges

19 September 2007

By: Alex Vochin, Technology Editor
Cobra's XRS R9G Helps You Avoid Getting a Speeding Ticket
With some help from the GPS system
While driving at high speeds is not at all recommended (due to the fact that most serious accidents are caused by excess speed), there are certain situations in which any driver feels the need to "put the medal to the metal", but, quite often, the only things he/she can achieve by doing so are a few minutes of adrenaline and a bit fat speeding ticket. However, The components of the Cobra XRS R9G radar things don't necessarily have to be this way, at least if the respective drivers try to give the detection system Cobra XRS R9G a spin, as this radar detection device also uses the power of GPS in order to discover the position of the respective "infernal machines". Thus, the system is formed out of a main detector, a wireless remote control display unit and a GPS locator, the latter component including a speed and red light camera location database with updates available through the company's website. Because speed and red light cameras are most often installed in high risk areas, Cobra's R9G warns drivers to slow down and stay alert when approaching dangerous intersections or strips of highways. Another layer of this technology currently in development includes alerts for high accident zones, known as "black spots," as well as school and construction zones.The R9G's unique design makes the device virtually undetectable, thus helping to deter theft, while its Super-Xtreme Range Superheterodyne (S-XRS) Maximum Performance 12 Band technology with LaserEye ensures detection of the fastest radar and laser guns, including POP Mode. Moreover, in order to maintain the R9G's discreet appearance, both the GPS locator and the main radar/laser detector unit are mounted behind the rearview mirror at the top of the windshield. This placement not only reduces the unit's visibility from outside the car, it also improves its detection range. Cobra's radar detector is powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack that allows the pocket-sized remote to operate up to 40 hours and includes a two-hour quick-charge option. The product's design also makes it possible to customize mounting locations and easily remove it from the car, further deterring theft. "Across the country, the number of speed and red light cameras is growing exponentially," said Tony Mirabelli, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Cobra Electronics. "Our camera detection capabilities in Europe, through Performance Products Limited, combined with our domestic expertise in radar detection and GPS make us the most qualified to bring this new innovation to the United States. Now drivers can stay alert no matter where they travel."The new XRS R9G radar detector will be available for specialized installers, as well as for the general public starting the fall of 2007 and has a MSRP of around $449.95, which is by no means cheap, but it's rather worth it, taking into consideration what it has to offer for this amount. We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is.
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