Cobra RAD400 User manual

RADAR/LASER
PROTECTION
RAD400
l'nnlldinlho~
hit
No.
480-1102-P
-a

Important
Information
Federal
Laws
Governing
the
Use
of
Radar
Detectors
It
is
not
against
federal
law
to
re
ceive
radar
tran
s
mi
s
sion
s
with
your
Cobra
radar
/
laser
detector.
The
Communi
c
ations
Act
of
1924
guarantees
your
right
to
receive
radio
transmissions
on
any
frequency
.
Local
law
s
that
contravene
this
Act,
while
illegal
,
may
be
enforced
by
your
local
law
enforcement
officials
until
and
unless
they
are
prohibited
from
doing
so
by
fede
r
al
court
action
.
Safe Driving
Motori
s
ts
,as
well
as
operators
of
emergency
or
service
vehicles,
are
expected
to
exer
c
ise
all
due
c
aution
while
using
this
product
,
and
to
obey
all
applicable
traffic
law
s.
Do
not
attempt
to
c
hange
settings
of
the
unit
while
in
motion
.
Security
of
Your Veh.icle
Before
leaving
your
vehicle,
always
remember
to
conceal
your
radar
detector
in
order
to
reduce
the
possibility
of
break-in
and
theft
.
C2017
CobraElectron•cs CorpOfahon
6500 W
est
Contend
Street
Chicago, IllinoiS 60707 USA
www.cobra.com
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra•
~

lnlroduchon
.,
n n i r n i n
Controls,
Indicators
and
Connections
--------~~------------------------------------------------·
[A2)
English
e
laserEye
•
For
detection
of
: laser signals.
.
•
12VOC
Power
Jack
••
On-OffNolume
Control
Allows
you
to
adjust the
volume
of
the alerts. .
8
Dim
Button
For adjusting the
display brightness.
.
•
Mute
Button
For manual
mute
or
auto
mute
of
audio alerts.
Windshield
Bracket.
Mount
•
.
• • • • • • • ••
Speaker
•
.
.SEN
Button
Adjust sensitivity
to
City
or
Highway
modes
to
reduce
false alerts
.
•
FCC
NOTICE
This
device
complies
with
part
15
of
FCC
rules:
Operation
is
subject
to
the
following
two
conditions:
(1)
This
device
may
not
cause
harmful
interference,
and
(2)
This
device
must
accept
any
interference
received
including
Interference
that
may
cause
undesired
operation.
A
VIS
FCC
Cet
appareil
est
conforme
a
Ia
partie
15
des
regles
de
Ia
FCC:
Son
fonctlonnement
est
soumis
aux
deux
conditions
sulvantes:
(1)
Ce
dispositif
ne
peut
causer
des
interferences
nuisibles,
et
(2)
Cet
apparel!
dolt
accepter
toute
Interference
~
y
comprls
les
Interferences
qui
peuvent
causer
un
mauvals
fonctionnement.

I
ntroduction
.,
Dis Ia and Product Features
Easy-to-Read
Display
----~--------------~~~----------------------------------·
Radar
Indicators
•••
.
..
..
. ..
VG-2
Indicator
•
.
Signal Strength/City/
Highway/Laser
Indicator
•
.
. . .. . .
. . .
. . .
,,
XKKaV
,-,
-
Product
Features
------------------------------------------------------------·
Congratulations!
You've
made
a
smart
choice
by
purchasing
a
radar/laser
detector
from
Cobra.
Just
look
at
some
of
the
sophisticated
features
and
capabilities
your
new
unit
includes:
Radar/Laser
Protection
Detects
all
radar
and
laser
guns.
LaserEye•
Detects
laser
signals
from
both
front
and
rear.
VoiceAiert
English
and
Spanish
language
digital
voice
announcements
help
keep
your
eyes
on
the
road.
Anti
-
Falsing
Circuitry
Automatically
reduce
false
alerts
from
erroneous
sources
including
automatic
door
openers
and
fixed
position
traffic
flow
monitoring
systems.
IVT
Filter™
Automatically
reduces
false
alerts
from
moving
In
-Ve
hicle
Technology
sources
such
as
collision
avoidance
systems
and
adaptive
cruise
control.
City
&
Highway
Modes
Selectable
modes
reduces
falsing
in
densely
populated
areas.
Auto
Mute
Automatically
mutes
audio
for
sustained
alerts.
7-Segment
Color
Display
Bright
display
with
band
identifi
ca
ti
on
icons
and
numeric
signal
strength
meter.
Audible
Signal
Strength
Levels
Unique
tones
provide
signal
strength
and
band
identification.
6'
Power
Cord
and
Mount
Included.
This
booklet
describes
the
simple
steps
for
mounting
and
setting
up
your
detector.
It
also
provides
helpful
information
about
how
radar
and
laser
guns
are
used
and
how
you
can
interpret
the
alerts
you
receive.
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra
rA31

Introduction
• '
Introduction
Imp
ortant
Inf
o
rmation
. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .... .. A1
Control
s,
Indi
c
ato
rs
and
Conne
c
tion
s.. .. .. ... . ... .. .... ..
A2
Di
s
play
.. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .... ..
A3
Produ
ct
Feature
s .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .... .. A3
Your
Detector
In
s
tallation
. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .... .. . 2
Getting
Started
. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ... . .. .. ... .. . 5
Settings. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. . 6
Highway
/
City
Mode
... .. .. .. .. ... . .. .. . .. .. .. .. ... .. . 6
Anti
-
Fal
s
ing
Circuitry
.
..........
.. .. .. .. ...
......
.. .
..
7
Muting
an
Alert
. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... . ... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. 7
Auto
Mute
Mode
.. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. . ... .. .. .. .. .. 7
Audio
.....
....
.. ... . ... .
......
...
.......
...
.
..
...
..
8
Di
s
play
Brightnes
s . .... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. 8
VG
-2
Alert
Settings
. .... .. .. . ... .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... . .. 9
Radar
Alert
Setting
s .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. . ... .. . 1
0
Dete
c
tion
. ... .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .
11
Signals
De
tected
. . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .
11
Audio
Alerts
.. .. .. ..... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. .. ... .. .. .. .
11
V
is
ual
D
is
play
.. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... . ... .. .. .. .. ...
11
In
s
tant-On
Detection
... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. . 13
R
es
ponding
to
Al
e
rts
..............
.. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .
14
Under
s
tanding
Ra
dar
and
La
s
er
. . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .
15
Under
s
tanding
LIDAR
. .... ... . ... . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .
16
Customer
Information
Maintenan
ce .. .. ... .... .. .. .. .. .. ... . ... .. .. .. ... .. .
16
Specification
s . .. ... .... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... ..
17
Limited
1-
Year
Warranty
.. .. .. .. ... . ... .. .. .. .. .. ..... .
18
Product
Service
&
Optional
Ac
ce
s
sorie
s... .. .. .. .. .. .....
19
Trademark
Ac
knowledgement
.
...
... ..
...................
20
No
th
ing
Comes
Close
to
a
COOr
a•
(2]

Installation
Where to Mount Your Unit
You will get optimum performance from your detector if you Mount it at a point
approximately in the center of the vehicle , as low as possible on the front windshield
without obstructing the unit's view of the road either to the front or rear. You can
also mount it directly on the dashboard.
The unit 's lens must not be blocked and the LaserEye should have a clear view
out the back window to allow maximum detection.
The laserEye Should Have a Clear View
Radar and laser signals pass through glass but not through other materials and
objects. Objects that can block or weaken incoming signals include:
• Windshield wiper blades
• Mirrored sun screens
• Dark tinting at the top of the windshield
• Heated windshields currently available on some vehicles
(lnstaclear for Ford , Electriclear for GM) . Consult your dealer
to see if you have this option.
(] English

-Installation
Your
Detector
"
Windshield
Mounting
1.
Attach
the
rubber
cups
to
the
bracket.
-
2.
Make
s
ure
the
rubber
cups
and
your
windshield
are
clean
.
3.
Push
the
bracket
firmly
onto
the
windshield
.
4.
Attach
the
detector
to
the
bracket.
Check
that
the
unit
is
parallel
to
the
road's
surface.
5.
To
adjust
the
angle
if
neces
-
sary
,
gently
push
or
pull
on
the
bracket
to
bend
it.
DO
NOT
use
the
detector
to
bend
the
bracket.
6.
Plug
the
power
cord
into
the
detector.
7.
Plug
the
cigarette
lighter
adapter
on
the
power
cord
into
your
vehicle's
ciga-
rette
lighter.
Nothing
Comes
aose
to
a
Cobra
~

~
Installation
Your
Detector
.,
Dashboard
Mounting
Gj
English
1.
Place
the
detector
on
the
dashboard
to
find
a
location
where
the
unit
has
a
clear,
level
view
of
the
road
and
is
parallel
to
the
road's
surface.
The
angle
CANNOT
be
adjusted
after
mounting
2.
Remove
the
paper
backing
from
one
side
of
the
hook-
and-loop
fastener.
3.
Attach
the
pad
to
the
dashboard
at
your
chosen
location
and
remove
the
other
paper
backing.
4.
Attach
the
detector
to
the
hook-and-loop
fastener.
You
can
remove
and
reattach
the
unit
as
often
as
you
like.
5.
Plug
the
power
cord
into
the
detector.
6.
Plug
the
cigarette
lighter
adapter
on
the
power
cord
into
your
vehicle's
cigarette
lighter.

~
Gettin Started
Your De
tector
#~"
Getting
Started
Power On
To
Turn
On
The
Unit
And
Adjust
The
Audio
Volume
Rotate
the
On-Off/
••11!!111••
Volume
control
clockwise
(away
from
you).
Three
beeps
h
or
(
ppears
in
the
display
indicating
that
the
power
is
On
(f)
NOTE
In
some
vehicles,
power
is
supplied
to
the
cigarette
lighter
even
while
the
ignition
is
Off.
If
this
is
the
case
with
your
vehicle,
you
should
turn
Off
or
unplug
your
detector
when
parking
for
lengthy
periods.
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra
~

~
Settin
s
Your
Detecto
r
,.,
Settings
Sens
Mode
Setting
your
detector
to
City
mode
sensitivity
delays
all
X
band
audio
alerts
at
lower
signal
strength
levels.
(A
single
beep
will
sound
when
the
signal
is
first
detected.)
This
will
reduce
false
alerts
while
you
are
driving
in,
or
near,
urban
areas
where
there
are
many
sources
for
conflicting
X
band
signals
such
as
microwave
towers
and
automatic
door
openers.
To
change
settings,
follow
the
procedure
listed
below,
which
indicates
what
you
will
see
and
hear
as
you
complete
each
step.
The
factory
setting
is
Highway
mode.
Highway
Mode
City
Mode
,_
I I
SEN
Button$.
Press and · • •
release
To
Change
From
Highway
Mode
To
City
Mode
Press
and
release
the
SEN
button.
One
beep
To
Change
From
City
Mode
To
Highway
Mode
Press
and
release
the
SEN
button
again.
0
English
Two
beeps
C
appears
in
the
display
h
appears
in
the
display

~
Settin
s
Your
Detector
""'
Anti-Falsing
Circuitry
Your
RAD
400
is
designed
to
provide
you
the
truest
alerts
and
minimize
the
distraction
of
erroneous
signals
from
radar-based
fixed-position
and
moving
sources.
•
Adjustable
Sensitivity:
City
I
Highway
modes
allow
driver
to
adjust
sensitivity
to
driving
environment,
reducing
false
alarms
from
fixed
position
sources
such
as
automatic
door
openers.
•
IVT
Filter:
system
automatically
reduces
false
alerts
from
moving
In-Vehicle
Technology
sources
such
as
collision
avoidance
systems
and
adaptive
cruise
control.
Manual
Mute
Your
detector
allows
you
to
quickly
turn
Off
an
audio
Alert
by
momentarily
pressing
the
Mute
button.
If
you
press
the
Mute
button
a
second
time
during
the
Alert,
the
audio
Alert
will
be
turned
back
On.
Auto
Mute
will
automatically
reduce
the
audio
volume
of
all
alerts
after
four
seconds
for
as
long
as
the
signal
is
detected.
The
factory
setting
for
Auto
Mute
is
On
.
To
Turn
Auto
Mute
Off
Press
and
release
the
Mute
button
while
no
alert
is
occurring
.
To
Turn
Auto
Mute
On
Two
beeps
.$
Mute
Button
Press and
release
Press
and
release
the
Mute
button
again
while
no
alert
is
occurring.
l
___
_,___~
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra'
~

~
Settin s
Your
Detector
lfll"
Audio
.English
Ill....
.
,.
.
• •
• •
• Press and •
: release •
•
•
Mute
Button
•
You
can
choose
from
three
settings
for
Voice/Tone
Alerts
and
English/Spanish
languages.
Repeatedly
push
the
Mute
button
to
cycle
through
the
settings.
The
factory
setting
is
English
.
..A...
Es.·nol
10iie
To
Change
Audio
and
language
Press
the
Mute
button
for
2
seconds
and
release
.
To
Change
from
Spanish
to
Tone
Only
Audio
Press
the
Mute
button
for
2
seconds
and
release.
•
•• •
• •
•
••
•• •
To
Change
from
Tone
Only
Audio
to
English
language
Press
the
Mute
button
for
2
seconds
and
relea
se.
"
English"
Display
Brightness
You
can
choose
from
three
settings
for
Brightness
of
the
display.
Repeatedly
push
the
Dim
button
to
cycle
through
the
settings.
The
factory setting
is
Bright.
0
English
·•
E>
Dim
Button
••
Bright~~~!....
.
,.
.
• •
• •
• •
•
•
•
•
Press and •
release :
Dim
Button
Dim
T
•
•• •
• •
••••••

~
Settin s
Your
Detector
_,
VG-2
Alert
Settings
Police
use
radar
detector
detectors
(RODs)
to
spot
users
of
radar
detectors.
Your
detector
is
able
to
identify
signals
from
VG-2
RODs
and
can
provide
alerts
when
any
of
these
or
similar
devices
are
in
use
near
your
vehicle.
Your
detector
is
invisible
to
VG-2
RODs
.
You
can
choose
whether
you
want
to
be
alerted
to
VG-2
ROD
signals.
The
factory
setting
for
VG-2
alert
is
Off.
To
Turn
VG-2
Alerts
On
and
Off
While
no
signal
is
being
detected
,
press
and
hold
the
Dim
button
for
four
second
s.
On
=
One
beep
Off
=
Two
beeps
$
Dim
Button
· Press and hold
for
four
seconds
V
LED
Flashe
s
Twice
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra•
L!]

-
Settin
s
Your
Det
ec
tor
.,.,
Radar
Alert
Settings
The
detector
allows
you
to
choose
whether
it
will
show
alerts
on
the
X,
K
and
Ka
Bands
.
The
factory
settings
are:
X,
K,
and
Ka
On.
To
Turn
X
Band
On
and
Off
While
no
signal
is
bemg
detected,
press
and
hold
both
the
Dim
and
Mute
buttons
for
four
seconds.
X
Off
=
One
beep
To
Tum
K
Band
On
and
Off
While
no
signal
is
being
detected,
press
and
hold
both
the
Mute
and
SEN
buttons
for
four
seconds.
K
On
=
Two
beeps
K
Off
=
One
beep
To
Tum
Ka
Band
On
and
Off
While
no
signal
is
being
detected
,
press
and
hold
the
Dim
and
SEN
buttons
for
four
seconds.
~
English
Ka
On
=
Two
beeps
Ka
Off
=
One
beep
1
X
LED
Flashes
Once
K
LED
Flashes
Twice
K
LED
Flashes
Once
Ka
LED
Flashes
Twice
Ka
LED
Flashes
Once

~
Detection
Your
Detector
""'
Signals Detected
The
tables
on
the
following
pages
show
you
the
types
of
Signals
your
detector
will
detect,
as
well
as
the
visual
alerts
it
provides
for
each
of
them.
Audio Alerts
A
distinctly
different
Alert
tone
is
used
for
each
type
of
signal
detected
(including
separate
tones
for
each
laser
signal).
For
X,
K
and
Ka
band
radar
signals,
the
tones
will
repeat
faster
as
you
approach
the
signal
source
.
The
repeat
rate
of
the
tones
gives
you
useful
information
about
the
signal
detected.
(See
responding
to
alerts
on
page
14.)
Visual Display
An
indication
of
the
type
of
signal
detected
will
appear
in
the
display
.
During
X,
K,
and
Ka
alerts,
a
number
will
also
appear,
indicating
the
strength
of
the
signal
detected
.
(1
=
weakest
,5 =
strongest).
Weak X Signal Detected
Moderate
K Signal Detected
Strong
Ka Signal Detected
X
2 -.
K
:1
Laser Signal Detected
VG
-2 Alert Signal Detected
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra~
~

a .
•
Your
Detector
;
Visual Display (continued)
Radar
Signals
and
Visual
Displays
Type
of
Signal
Visual
Display
X
Band
Radar
X
is
Steady
K
Band
Radar
K
is
Steady
Ka
Band
Radar
Ka
is
Steady
laser
Signals
and
Visual
Displays
Type
of
Signal
Visual
Display
LTI
20-20*
-
------
LTI
Laser*
Kustom
Signals
Laser
340*
Kustom
Signals
Laser'
Stalker
LIDAR*
--
Laser
Atlanta
Speedlaser/Kustom
Signals-Prolaser
II*
*
Your
detector
provides
360°
detection
of
these
signals.
~
English
Lis
Steady
Lis
Steady
LIs
Steady
Lis
Steady
Lis
Steady
Lis
Steady

a .
•
Your
Detector
""
VG-2
Visual
Display
Type
of
Signal
Visual
Display
VG-2
ROD
vis
Steady
Instant-On
Detection
Your
detector
is
designed
to
detect
Instant-On
speed
monitoring
signals,
which
can
suddenly
appear
at
full
strength
.
•
NOTE
You
should
take
appropriate
action
immediately
whenever
an
Instant-On
alert
is
given.
Nothing
Comes
Close
to
a
Cobra·
~

Responding
to
Alerts
Recommended
D
esc
ription
Interpretation
Response
Tone
repeats
slowly
at
first,
Probably
police
radar
.
then
speeds
up
rapidly
.
Tone
sounds one time
only.
Probably a false alarm,
but
possibly
pulsed
radar
or
VG-2
nearby
.
Tone
instantly
begins
Radar
or
VG-2
nearby
has
repeating
rapidly
.
been
activated
suddenly.
Tone
repeats
slowly
as
you
I
Probably
police
radar
approach
a
hill
or
bridge
,
beyond
the
hill
or
bridge.
then
speeds
up
sharply
as
~
you
reach
it.
Tone
repeats
slowly
for
a
Probably
a
false
alarm
.
short
period
.
Any
type
of
laser
alert.
-~
Laser
alerts
are
never
false
alarms.
----1..
~
Engl
is
h
FULL
ALERT
Exercise caution
--
~---
FULL
ALERT
FULL
ALERT
Exercise
caution
FULL
ALERT

,_
Understandin
Radar
and
Laser
Your
Detector
"
Understanding
Radar
and
Laser
Radar
Speed
Monitoring
Systems
Three
band
frequencies
have
been
approved
by
the
Federal
Com
mur
ications
Commission
(FCC)
for
use
by
speed
monitoring
radar
equipment:
X
band
10.525
GHz
K
band
24.150
GHz
Ka
band
33
.
400
-
36
.
00
GHz
Your
detector
detects
signals
in
all
three
radar
bands,
plus
Ku
band
(13.435
GHz),
which
is
an
approved
frequency
used
in
parts
of
Europe
and
Asia.
VG-2
VG-2
is
a
"detector
detector"
that
works
by
detecting
low-level
signals
emitted
by
most
radar
detectors
.
Your
detector
does
not
emit
signals
that
can
be
detected
by
VG-2,
but
does
detect
VG-2
signals
and
will
alert
you
when
a
device
is
in
use
near
your
vehicle
.
While
no
signal
is
being
detected,
press
and
hold
the
Dim
button
for
four
seconds.
The
factory
setting
for
VG
-2
alerts
is
Off
.
Nothing
r
>mes
Close
to
a
Cobraa
~

~
Understanding
LIDAR &
~-..
Maintenance
Your
Detector
tfll"
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:
•
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
.
•
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.
•
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.
•
Is
it
legal
for
police
to
use
LIDAR?
Yes,
LIDAR
is
allowed
to
be
used
in
all
50
States
by
police.
Your
detector
detects
LIDAR
(laser)
.
Maintenance
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
your
unit
does
not
appear
to
be
operating
properly,
please
follow
these
troubleshooting
steps
:
•
Make
sure
the
power
cord
is
properly
connected.
•
Make
sure
the
socket
of
your
vehicle's
cigarette
lighter
is
clean
and
free
of
corrosion
.
•
Make
sure
the
power
cord's
cigarette
lighter
adapter
is
firmly
seated
in
your
cigarette
lighter.
~
English