Keep an eye on the new Cobra Road Scout
 Cobra Road Scout Summary Review |
There was a time that Cobra was the butt of jokes, about their products perceived low performance and RF "leakiness." Well Cobra has come a long way in twenty years.
About five years ago, Cobra released their first detector featuring digital signal processing with their DSP-9200BT radar detector. After testing that detector, we determined that its performance was no joke. It was very respectable. Where it was a little weak was in its filtering out of K-band collision avoidance systems, of which there are many more on the road as there was then.
As a manufactures of a variety of products, not just radar detectors, Cobra has manufactured dash cams. So they have a lot of experience in the dash cam space.
Well folks, Cobra has taken what they've learned from their radar detector production as well as their dash cam experience and make the first of its kind radar detector and integrated dash camera.
The new model is called the Cobra Road Scout. The convenience of having both a dash cam and a radar detector in one chassis can't be understated.
The Cobra Road Scout is pretty sophisticated in its own right as is supports two, count 'em, WIFI modes. One for the radar detection side and one for the dash cam side. It also has bluetooth connectivity for pairing with its accompanying Cobra iRadar smartphone application.
Using iRadar you can wirelessly configure the detector and also benefit from the crowsourcing activities of both the Cobra Aura and Escort Deference photo enforcement databases. You can also log and also receive in near real-time marked locations of police traffic enforcement so you'll be warned of an approaching speed trap or photo enforcement trap, among other things.
The dash cam operates in full HD at 1080p/30fps (or actually 29.97fps). Video quality appears to be good but I have found the video to have a little more contrast than need be. I have fed back this observation as well as some others and the Cobra development team appears receptive to them, so perhaps we will see some changes soon which should approve the utility of the dash cam function.
In terms of radar performance, as stated the Cobra Road Scout has been evolved from Cobra's first DSP model stated above but has been the beneficiary of better filtering to better combat K-band collision avoidance systems. I've been told that the sensitivity of the new Road Scout has been spec'd to the Escort Passport 9500ix, Escort's most popular selling detector of all time. This means if things really pan out like they should, the new Cobra Road Scout should act like a better filtered 9500ix.
Furthermore, for the more advanced user, the Cobra Road Scout can be K band-segmented (for even further increased filtering). For example disable the KN4 (K Narrow 4) window, you can further eliminate alerts from those pesky GM, Cadillac, Fiat, Acura, and Honda vehicles. This is a very good thing because these vehicles are very common and you'll likely encounter them very frequently.
At $449 think of getting two pieces of electronics in one package--a good radar detector, and a good dash cam. If you consider the cost of these devices if purchased separately, it becomes clear that the Road Scout is a bargain.
- Read the full review of the Full Review: Cobra Road Scout
- To make a purchase or to learn more visit RadarBusters
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