Recomend me a radar detector...

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Recomend me a radar detector...

foxy38

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#268014 23-Feb-2020 17:02

looking for a semi decent detector.....price range....$400...to about $800 some ive looked at ar the r3 uniden...dfr7 and newer one dfr9seem slightly cheaper but still a good unit....how does second hand go..? any thoughts on import from amazon...? considerably cheaper then local guys.. any thoughts apprciated..

foxy

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#2425967 23-Feb-2020 17:11

Better get your head down.
Incoming...

Rikkitic

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#2425973 23-Feb-2020 18:01

Valentine used to be highly regarded. Not sure about today's market. I have had one for years. I got a good deal on it second-hand and it still works fine, though I ought to update firmware. It's main selling point is forward and rear facing detectors, so you have a pretty good indication where the signal is coming from. This means the detector needs clear vision in both directions, but I have never found that a problem. I just mount it on the mirror.

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Dreamerz

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#2425983 23-Feb-2020 19:21

foxy38:

looking for a semi decent detector.....price range....$400...to about $800 some ive looked at ar the r3 uniden...dfr7 and newer one dfr9seem slightly cheaper but still a good unit....how does second hand go..? any thoughts on import from amazon...? considerably cheaper then local guys.. any thoughts apprciated..

Depends the uniden R3 is going to be the best on the market in terms of range from my research there is also the R7 with arrows but that's more expensive still. If you wanted to save some money you could import one and load the nz GPS locations onto it, from memory someone at rdforums developed a method of doing this.

coffeebaron

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#2425985 23-Feb-2020 19:36

This is the best Radar Detector I've ever owned: https://www.radardirect.co.nz/product/uniden-r7-nz/

The R7 is outside of your price range above, but the Uniden R3 has also been highly rated. My R7 will pick up the majority of speed camera vans with a good 200m range, and on some occasions 500m+. The Unidens use to be the poor cousin of Radar Detectors, but certainly no longer. Its also relatively quiet too, not an over abundance of K band false alerts.

DO NOT get an imported radar detector. The ones not made for the NZ market may not cover the lower K-band for speed camera detection, and there are a few other quirks with them too.

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dfnt

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#2425986 23-Feb-2020 19:41

coffeebaron:

DO NOT get an imported radar detector. The ones not made for the NZ market may not cover the lower K-band for speed camera detection, and there are a few other quirks with them too.

Last I checked, especially for the V1, this statement is false. There was no such thing as country specific radar detectors when I was researching them, I can't see that having changed.

If you want a good resource for radar detectors you can't go past rdforum https://www.rdforum.org/index.php?forums/104/

foxy38

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#2425988 23-Feb-2020 19:46

yes have been reading on that website just found it...seems over seas ones are fine with nz data base loaded..but some have come in faulty from states so prefer nz seller...i could pay more...but just want a solid mid range one i guess. just reading about radenso...brand... about to blow everything out of the water,,,in nz..so will keep searching...and reading the comments..

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dfnt

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#2425989 23-Feb-2020 19:52

Yes, will be interesting to see whether the radenso theia can live up to the hype

I bought my V1 direct from V1 about 6 or so years ago, have had no issues with it.

Obviously warranty claims will be a hassle having to send it back, but that's the risk you take.

For example, Radar Direct claim the R7 they sell is "NZ" specific with X band off - they would have manually turned this off themselves and "K-band: 23.900 GHz to 24.250GHz (NZ Speed Camera Specification)" yet the "American" version supports that very same K-Band range as well.

From the reputable Vortex of rdforum:

One other quick thing to point out is the R7 is a little better at MRCD detection than the R1 / R3. This is because it can scan a wider range of frequencies which lets it catch any MRCD’s transmitting at lower than usual frequency ranges. The R7’s K band scanning range is 23.900-24.250 while the R1 / R3 scans 24.050 – 24.250. This generally isn’t a big issue for traditional radar, but it can be important for MultaRadar so the R7 will alert to more MRCD sources.

However, it does look like there's NZ specific firmware that works in conjunction with the NZ GPS database for the GPS capable unidens, but there is a user on rdforum that makes GPS databases that work on both USA and NZ firmwares.

Check Vortex's youtube, or web page, he provides good mid range options

lNomNoml

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#2425998 23-Feb-2020 20:28

I'm just surprised they are legal tbh.

Scott3

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#2426003 23-Feb-2020 20:44

lNomNoml:

I'm just surprised they are legal tbh.

They are just a RF listening device. It would be quite a slippery slope if we started banning ownership of devices listing to particular RF bands.

Radar Jammers are illegal.

I think these day's they are much more prone to false positives, with modern cars with radar cruise / blind spot detectors etc becoming common. Last trip I did in a car with a V1 radar detector, false positives were common. (may have been set up wrong?). Also you can't count on them as instant on radar, and handheld laser speed detectors are widely used.

I think the money for a radar detector could be better spent elsewhere for most of the population, and don't own one myself.

Also be aware they are (or at least were) hot ticket items for thief's - and don't expect police sympathy if you report one stolen. It is best practice to remove the radar detector (and mount, and wipe any sucker rings off the windscreen) anytime the car will be unattended. I know one person wouldn't even leave their's in their glove-box, it would be carried in their bag.

Wheelbarrow01

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#2426061 23-Feb-2020 22:45

I bought an Escort Redline EX second hand from Trademe a few months ago for $700 (retail price $1299 from memory). It paid for itself on my first open road outing with it. I was behind a couple of slower vehicles doing 90ish and the detector started going nuts as I approached a passing lane. I chose to stay where I was in the conga line, but the guy behind me hoofed it - he got done by the cop who was coming towards us.

I was able to verify via email with the US manufacturer that my second hand unit was not stolen (the warranty registration was in the sellers name), and I was able to transfer it to my name so I can continue to receive firmware updates etc.

The detector itself is great - extremely long distance detection and very low falsing with auto mute. It completely filters out all the radar gear on oncoming vehicles (lane guidance, adaptive cruise etc) which is a godsend as my previous V1 did not (but it was very old). It has 360 degree detection but it doesn't tell you which direction - you need the Escort Max 360 for that - $1399 RRP.

The Redline EX also has GPS onboard so it displays your speed - which is good if your speedo reads incorrectly (as most tend to). It also warns of known speed camera areas via GPS.

I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with second hand, as long as the seller can prove it's not stolen.

xpd

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#2426130 24-Feb-2020 08:06

afe66: Better get your head down.
Incoming...

He might need a radar to see it incoming....

Eyes see speed limit sign - check speedo - brain processes - over limit ? Lift foot from pedal.

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sen8or

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#2426137 24-Feb-2020 08:23

Mithheru @ RDForums has done extensive testing in NZ with several detectors -

The R1/R3 will not pick up redflex vans, but his database for the R3 is exemplary with speedcamera and redlight camera locations. He can put a NZ database on a US model (mine is). The R3 can be imported for around $500 or so, depending on exchange rate.

The DFR7 is an older detector, but can have his NZ GPS database loaded, it does pick up redflex vans and its Ka detection is pretty decent.

He has also had success with the DFR9, but I think he did some firmware mods to improve it.

I have an imported R3. When I first bought it, it had a faulty antenna and failed to pickup any signal. Uniden US will not ship to a NZ address, so I had to send it back to them (about $50 or so postage back to the US) while they assessed it for repairs. They repaired it and sent it to my youshop address. I only declared a $1 value but uploaded all the warranty return documents. This seemed to work ok and they shipped it back, all up probably cost me about an additional $100.

If I were buying now, I'd probably go for an imported DFR7 or maybe DFR9. You should be able to pick these up for under $200us or even less if you get them on discount offer (look for Vortex radars website, he lists various coupons / specials on detectors).

The arrows on the R7 are nice and the range is unbeatable, but unless you are really pushing common sense boundaries with speed, the DFR7 is still pretty decent (my old LRD950 which is the same hardware as the DFR7 would give 1 - 1.5km ka band or more on some alerts).

Owing to some users abuse of his databases, Mithheru now charges for a DB, I think about $50, but this will include updates, and each DB is specific to a particular radar detector serial number / firmware.

Oblivian

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#2426197 24-Feb-2020 10:34

Dbase abuse.. That's a little strange. Far as I know it's public info (the static ones at least)

Sure it may only list a stretch of road between two cross streets that they maybe positioned to be cautious of. But it's public.

I use to update the Garmin POIs with them and maintain the CHC mobile zones from zenbu - Until someone decided they didn't like the non introusive warnings of the mobile zones in their daily commute so deleted them

https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/scep-all-sites-location-and-gps-co-ordinates.pdf

Christchurch has had a reprise since the quakes. And only the mobiles hang about while the statics out of town were replaced with the newer high ISO/faster models that don't need manual retrieval/moving around.

rp1790

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#2426202 24-Feb-2020 10:53

+1 on the Uniden R3 with US FW and with Mithheru's NZ database. I now only have KA band on K is off entirely and when I get an alert it is a copper.

On the long straights around Foxton / Sansen I've had a real alert about 2.6km out.

dt

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#2426204 24-Feb-2020 10:55

I can't make a recommendation within your budget, but if you wanted to buy the best for NZ roads i'd recommend the Escort Redline EX

Id also recommend emailing or calling Graeme @ radar direct, you'll be able to tell him what you're looking for and what your budget is and he'll tell you exactly what to get.

Have bought a few from him over the years and have never been disappointing

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