User Guide

be present at railroad crossings and construction zones. Not all emergency vehicles are using
Safety Alert. Each local municipality decides for themselves. STROBE ALERT Many cities
have been using a special sensor mounted on traffic lights, which detects a special strobe light on
emergency vehicles. When an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, the lights turn red
for all directions. This stops all traffic to help prevent accidents with the emergency vehicle. The
newest Cobra radar detectors can detect the special strobe light, and warn you of an approaching
emergency vehicle. Not all emergency vehicles are equipped with the special strobe light.
Do Cobra radars work in other countries?
It is extremely difficult to maintain accurate information on radar use in other countries. Not only
is it difficult to determine the frequencies in use, but even more difficult is determining when
changes occur. It is almost impossible to maintain up-to-date information on all the changes that
occur throughout the world. For this reason, any Cobra radar detectors used outside the United
States are sold "as-is", with no guarantee of compatibility with radar systems in the destination
country. Compatibility has been verified for use only within the United States and Canada.
Following are the frequency bands for Cobra radar detectors. We recommend that you try to
determine the frequencies in use in your country, to verify that they fall within our range of
detection. X Band: 10.475 to 10.575 gigahertz Ku Band: 13.4 to 13.47 gigahertz K Band: 24.00
to 24.25 gigahertz Ka Band: 33.4 to 36.0 gigahertz Laser: 860 to 960 nanometers Note: All
models have the X, K, Ka, and Laser bands. Only some models support the Ku Band.
Hardwiring a Radar Detector to the Fuse Block
To hardwire a radar detector to the fuse block, it is highly recommended to purchase our part
number RA-PSC-B. This is a special power cord just for hardwiring our radar detectors. The
cord is approximately 10 feet long. It has a radar connector on one end, and has bare wires and a
fuse on the other end. The polarity of the wires is marked. Using this cord makes installation
much easier. The polarity of the connector is center-tip-positive. If you do not purchase the
hardwire cord, then you must cut the cigarette plug off the standard power cord. Then open the
cigarette plug and see which wire color goes to the fuse. This is the (+) wire. Since the fuse was
in the cigarette plug, you should install a fuse holder on the (+) wire. The fuse holder should be
at the end of the cable, so that it will be near the power source (typically the fuse box). Remove
the fuse from the cigarette plug and install it in the fuse holder. Radio Shack sells a suitable fuse
holder, part number 270-1281. Installation: Please read the note following these instructions. 1.
Connect the fused wire to a fuse in the fuse box. The fuse for the radio is recommended. To
connect the wire to a fuse, it is recommended to use a “fuse tap” which can be found at Radio
Shack and local auto stores. A fuse tap makes it easy to tap power from a fuse. You can connect
the fuse tap to either side of the fuse – it does not matter. 2. Plug the cable into the radar detector
and turn on the detector. 3. Turn on the ignition. 4. Touch the other wire to various screws under
the dash. When the detector turns on, you have found a ground screw. Attach the wire to this
screw. 5. Run the cable to the detector, avoiding the brake and gas pedals. This completes
installation. NOTE: The above instructions are for negative-ground electrical systems. More than
99% of all vehicles are negative-ground. If you are unsure, ask your local car dealer. If your