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Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra
®
31
Understanding Radar and Laser
Your Detector
30
English
Strobe Alert
Special strobes mounted on the light bars of authorized emergency
vehicles (fire trucks, police cars, ambulances) automatically change traffic signals
as the vehicle approaches an intersection. These strobes and the special strobe
detectors located on the traffic signals, introduced fairly recently by 3M and Tomar,
are already in use in more than 1000 cities nationwide. Cobra’s exclusive Strobe
Alert detector will detect these
special strobes and give an emergency vehicle alert.
When you receive such an alert, please watch for an approaching
emergency vehicle and pull over to allow it to pass. To inquire about
coverage in your area, contact your local fire and police departments.
LIDAR (Laser)
The correct name for the technology that most people refer to as
laser is actually LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging.
LIDAR operates much like radar. Its signal spreads out like a radar
signal, though not as widely. Unlike radar, LIDAR must have a clear
line of sight to its target vehicle throughout the entire measurement
interval. Obstructions such as sign posts, utility poles, tree branches,
etc., will prevent valid speed measurement.
Some common questions about LIDAR include:
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Does weather have any affect on LIDAR?
Yes. Rain, snow, smoke, fog, or airborne dust particles will reduce the
effective range of LIDAR and can, if dense enough, prevent its operation.
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Can LIDAR operate through glass?
Yes. Newer LIDAR guns can obtain readings through most types of glass.
However, the laser pulse also can be received through glass to trigger
an alarm by your detector.
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Can LIDAR operate while in motion?
No. Because LIDAR operates by line of sight, the person using it cannot
drive the vehicle, aim and operate the gun all at the same time.
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Is LIDAR legal to use?
Yes. It is legal in all 50 states.
Pop Radar Guns
The Pop mode Radar Gun is a single pulse Doppler radar that is a feature
of a K and Ka (Bee III Ka radar gun) band Instant-On radar gun. It uses a single
short time pulse to measure the target vehicle’s speed. Despite the fact that the
short, single pulse makes the unit very sensitive to officer hand and vehicle
movement and reduces the range of the gun in Pop mode to 50% of its range in
Continuous Wave mode, this feature is added in an attempt to make the radar gun
invisible to Radar Detectors.
Although your detector can sense Pop signals beyond the effective range
of Pop radar guns, there will be a signal to sense only if a gun is triggered.
In addition, the Pop mode receiver section is more prone to false alerts because of
its extra sensitivity. This is especially so in urban areas. As a result, you should
consider using the Pop Detect mode only in highway
and rural situations. Cobra Electronics has included a user selectable On
or Off Pop Detect mode.
Maintenance
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Maintenance of Your Radar Detector
Your detector is designed and built to give you years of trouble-free performance
without the need for service. No routine Maintenance
is required.
If you have added the Optional GPSL unit to your detector, you can
update the database of Photo Enforced locations. Go to Cobra's website
(www.cobra.com) and follow the online instructions.
If your unit does not appear to be operating properly,
please follow these troubleshooting steps:
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Make sure the power cord is properly connected.
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Make sure the socket of your vehicle’s cigarette lighter
is clean and free of corrosion.
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Make sure the power cord’s cigarette lighter adapter
is firmly seated in your cigarette lighter.
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Check the power cord fuse. (Unscrew the ribbed end cap of
the cigarette lighter adapter and examine the fuse. If required,
replace it with a 2-amp fuse only.)