Cobra XRS 9960G Radar Detector -- Not a bad radar detector but not great either
Written: May 08 '09
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| gatorgirlie's Full Review: Cobra XRS 9960G Radar Detector |
I received my Cobra 9960G for a promise of a fair and honest review within 10 days of receipt.
Im a little late but due to various family emergencies and funerals (not to mention Ive had the flu for two weeks and have barely been awake... nevermind fully functional), Ive been unable to post. In addition, the apostrophe key is broken on my laptop... so please forgive the unintentional grammatical errors.
Anyway, Ive never used a radar detector. Ever... neither has my husband.... so I really have nothing to base this review against except my own expectations.
And now, on to the review!!
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Wow, this thing is loaded with a lot of bells and whistles!!!
One of the things I worried about when I first got this was how loaded with features this thing is. Ive noticed a universal rule about purchasing electronics -- the more loaded with features an item is, the poorer it actually works. Its kind of like the old adage that a -jack of all trades is master of none-.
Anyway, this thing comes packed with:
*City/Highway modes
*System ready prompt
*Car battery voltage display
*Spectre I undetectable (undetectable for Spectra I radar detector detectors)
*Intelliview alerts
*Spectre Alerts I/IV (radar detector detector alerts)
*15 band detection (including safety and strobe alerts)
*Frequency display mode
*AURA database (GPS-based red light camera alerts, dangerous intersections, etc)
*Location based alerts
*Full color display with 1.5 inch screen
*Auto dimmer for night travel
*POP mode gun detection
*360 degree detection of laser signals
*Voice alerts
*SmartPower automaticalls shuts down when you turn the engine off
*EasySet Programming Menu
*Digital Speedometer, 8 point GPS compass
The following equipment is included with your purchase:
Windshield mounting Bracket
Coiled Power Cord
Hook and Loop Fasteners
Mini-USB to USB Type-A Adapter Cable for database updates
Owners Manual
Other specs:
Product Dimensions: 1.9 in. x 3.1 in. x 5.2 in.
Weight: 6.5 oz.
So easy a toddler could do it!
The first thing I noticed, and appreciated, about the XRS 9960 is how easy it is to set up. Literally all you have to do is stick the window mounting bracket to the windshield (with the two suction cups) and slide it on. Plug the power cord into your outlet and you are good to go. Its that easy! They do recommend that you leave your XRS on for 15 minutes the first time you hook it in so that it will connect to the satellite (for your GPS locator stuff) quickly in the future.
I read through the user manual quickly but it was kind of unnecessary... the buttons are clearly labeled and easy to figure out while looking over the product before you install it.
The good things...
First, this thing is feature-loaded. It detects both radar and lasar (the frequencies are mentioned above, they mean nothing to me), radar detector-detectors (I didnt even know they had those) and pop radar guns. It includes a safety alert (which I love) that alerts drivers to railroad crossings and incoming emergency vehicles.
The GPS functions are really cool -- it can tell you your speed (and alert you if you go above a preset limit... good for those who dont use cruise or have a tendency to speed up unconciously), your lat/lon information (good for those still using paper maps) and a compass to let you know what direction you are going. Honestly, though, as neat as those features are... theyre fairly superfluous. If you already use some sort of navigation system, the latitude/longitude and compass are unnecessary. The speed is unnecessary and kind of silly since you have to actually navigate away from the main screen to see it -- it is accurate, however. The Aura camera and driving database is good and fairly complete -- more useful when you travel to unfamiliar areas than driving around town.
I like the voice alerts and the dimming feature at night, as well as how easy it is to program and use. I especially like the auto shut off feature which shuts off the power to the unit when you shut your car off -- my husband and I would leave this thing on permanently without it.
One of the best parts about this detector is how far away it actually reads radar signals. We caught a couple of cops radar from a mile away (on the other side of a hill, no less). I love how the signal strength grows the closer you get to the signal. We have never missed a cops radar gun -- the XRS has always alerted us (now, alerting us too often is a problem). Honestly, though... When you purchase a radar detector, you expect it to work. It has always worked for us, which is a big, huge plus.
Jinx, it is the coppers !!! (or stuff that either isnt great)
First off, do you really need a car battery voltage display? I mean, its like the makers of Cobra got into a feature war with another company to see how much crap they could cram into this thing. Now, if youre a feature hound, thats good... if you dont care, then its just wasted money. I mean, after all, why do you buy a radar detector?
You buy a radar detector not for cool features or snazzy displays, you buy it because you want something that will let you know when cops are out on the highways (which this detector do. Not only do you want something that will alert you to the use of radar/laser, you want something accurate that wont give you a ton of false positives.
In its primary function, this Cobra radar detector is ... average. While it doesnt give a ton of false positives, there are enough to make me wonder whether the alert that pops up is real or not. We have had false positives on virtually every band -- X, K, Ku, VG-2... you name it, weve had a false positive on it... heck, weve even had false positives on the Spectre bands (the radar detector detectors). Even the signal strength will betray you -- we have had a couple of five bar Ku alerts with nothing to show for it. The oddest part was that we were driving through a very rural part of Orlando with no other electronic interference. Go figure. Its gotten to the point where we have had more false positives than actual positives so were starting almost ignoring the radar detector. Switching the city and highway modes does absolutely nothing to reduce the number of false positives.
Another point we are disappointed in is the POP alert option. Their book says that it gives a lot of false positives and its not incorrect. We have had to shut down down that whole option because every five to ten minutes the POP alert would sound, for no odd reason. It is exceedingly annoying and it happens everywhere -- rural portion of I-95, rural areas of Orlando, populated areas... doesnt matter, POP alerts go off. It is almost like the darned thing is on a timer. Why put in something that you know doesnt work that well? Again, it almost seems like Cobra was trying to jam as much in as possible.
Overall
Overall, it isnt a bad radar detector. It *does* pick up the cops radar. We have never had an issue with the Cobra *not* picking up a signal from the police -- it even picks up the highway signs that flash your speed. The AURA database seems adequate and is fantastic when youre traveling outside of your usual area (however, if you dont use your car to travel often, its not that useful... in your home area you know the dangerous intersections). I like the emergency vehicle alert. The other options are nice but, again, they arent really important. Nice windowdressing is all they are. The problem lies in the fact that it picks up a lot of false positives -- so much so that you start ignoring the silly thing when it goes off.
The three star rating comes because it does its job, just not extremely well. Its an expensive radar detector and Im not sure its truly worth the money as I have nothing, really, to compare it to. Would less expensive models not have the amount of false positives? Perhaps, perhaps not. So, would I recommend it? I guess so, with reservations that you do your homework first. If you like bells and whistles, this is the radar detector for you. If youre looking for a basic model that does its primary function excellently, you might want to look around a bit more before deciding on this one.
Pros:
*Manual easy to read and understand
*Very easy to install, setup and operate
*Tons of extras for those who love bells and whistles
*The AURA database is great when you travel
*The emergency signal alert works well and is a good alert system for drivers
*It actually does detect when cops use radar -- we have never had it miss a speed trap
*It shuts off when you turn the engine off !!
*The display is very bright and clear -- makes the detector easy to read
*It detects a wide variety of bands from radar to laser to radar detector detectors
Cons:
*Quite a few bells and whistles are unnecessary and simply add to the cost
*Expensive
*POP alert mode is virtually useless due to the high number of false positives it gives out (no matter the mode)
*Overall the entire unit gives a lot of false positives over virtually every band. We have even had false positives for Spectre IV bands.
Recommended:
Yes
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gatorgirlie
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Location: Orlando, FL
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