Cobra Electronics ESD 9210 Radar Detector

While I'm not usually one to flout the speed limits on the open highway (sometimes you'll find me driving a tick or two below the posted limit), I sometimes tend to lead-footed behavior through small towns and other wide spots in the road. Bad idea! since that's where most of the speed traps tend to be, at least around here. So to keep myself honest (and out of traffic court) I've driven with a radar detector on the windshield for more than a decade. In that time I've had only one ticket, and that was while driving a rental car -- and now I have an extra detector to carry with me on trips. For what it's worth, by the way, it's Ms scmrak who has the lead foot in this family.

Each time we buy a new car, we also pick out a new radar detector. So when we bought a new CR-V this Spring, I picked out a Cobra ESD-9210 to go with the new car. It's our third Cobra, including my "rental" unit.


Features

The 9210 is a ten-band detector, picking up three kinds of radar, four "laser" (technically LIDAR) bands, strobe light alerts, three types of safety alerts, and VG-2 "radar detector detectors":

* Radar bands: K, Ka, X
* Lidar bands: LTI 20-20, LTI Ultra-Lyte, Kuston Signals ProLaser, Kustom Signals ProLaser III
* Strobe alerts: 3M Opticon, Tamar
* Safety alerts for emergency vehicles, road hazards, and trains
* VG-2

Each signal detected produces three warning signs: a tone alert (different tones for each band); a visual alert for each signal type with signal-strength meter; and an audio alert, in which a bland female voice states "K Alert" and so forth. There's an on-off switch / volume control on the left side that controls both tone and audio alert levels, and voice alerts can be turned off entirely. The visual display may be set at one of four levels, from dark to bright enough for full daylight.

A city/highway switch is located on the top of the unit. When set in "city" mode, the detector suppresses alerts for X radar until they reach a signal strength of three on the one-to-five scale. This is to decrease false alarms in urban areas, where microwave transmitters and motion detectors (for automatic doors and security systems) are common sources of X signals. While the unit is in "city" mode, a letter c appears on the LED display, otherwise it's a letter h.

The unit boasts an automatic muting feature, which mutes a signal after four seconds. The user may manually mute a signal at any time.


Special Features

Just about any current radar detector incorporates all of the above features, though voice alerts are an added-cost option (the Cobra ESD-9110 is identical except for voice alerts) that adds from $10 to $20 to the retail cost (Mine was $110, you can get the ESD-9110 for $100). Two additional features on the ESD-9210 that I appreciate are SmartMute and VG-2 alert suppression.

SmartMute lets you set a threshold engine RPM level; when the engine speed is below that level all warning signals are muted immediately. That means that if you're idling at a stop light, the patrol cruiser behind you doesn't keep your detector jabbering constantly. Setting the RPM threshhold is quite easy if you have a tachometer.

A second feature I appreciate is VG-2 signal suppression. VG-2 signals search for radar detectors (which generate a weak signal of their own). Cobra states that the ESD-9210 is undetectable by VG-2 technology. You can turn the VG-2 alarms off if you live in one of the forty-nine states in which detectors are legal. Doing so is a treat, because even four seconds of that VG-2 alert tone is an eternity! Even if the VG-2 alert is turned off, the detector still senses all other bands.


Safety

In an effort to keep radar detectors legal, Cobra and other manufacturers are pushing their use as a safety device. To this end, the ESD-9210 senses the strobe lights on emergency vehicles (the same ones that override traffic signals) with Strobe-Alert. In addition, Cobra (and, presumably, other manufacturers) also sell a radar-based traffic Alert System to municipalities and private companies; these are placed on potential hazards. Cobra's line of radar detectors picks up these signals and will warn you of an approaching emergency vehicle or train, or of a nearby hazard such as road construction. While this is a laudable cause, I have to say I've never been notified of an approaching emergency vehicle that I hadn't already seen. and only a few of those. As to the radar-based warning devices, the city or company has to buy them first -- and in this part of the country they have other things to spend their limited funds on. I've gotten a train warning about six times, all but one from my neighborhood Best Buy store! Still, I think it's a good thing...


Summary

If you're habitually an aggressive speed demon, get some help! But if you're someone who occasionally doesn't slow down enough when exiting the freeway or driving through small towns, a radar detector can help keep you honest. The industry changes pretty fast (my 10-year-old 3-band Whistler is good only for a doorstop any more), so a current detector is always a good idea. Combine the safety aspects with the ticket-avoidance aspects, and they're almost indispensable if you drive a lot.

All three of my Cobras are holding up well, including the three-year-old 6-band in the pickup. About the only problem I've had is accidentally muting a device when sliding it onto the windshield mount, which can sometimes be an awkwardly tight fit. This newest one's a good detector in the middle of the price range.