AudioAficionado.org - Goodbye Escort, Hello Uniden

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I have an escort max I got a few years ago when it first came out. Great device. Like you, I'm not a huge speeder but when taking long road trips or even on my quick highway commute it's invaluable. It's saved my butt many times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Family Progtitioner (Post 892370)

Dan.......The Escort MAX is a decent radar detector. Surprisingly it outperforms its replacement, the Escort MAX2. The same thing has happened again in the Escort lineup. The Escort Redline, the long distance detection champ for years, was recently replaced by the Escort Redline EX. The Redline EX got a GPS chip and a few other functional upgrades but its long range K and Ka band detection is nowhere near the original Redline. Lots of Escort Redline owners had high expectations for the new Redline EX performance. Many are expressing disappointment with the newest Redline EX radar detector. I'm not sure why Escort doesn't seem able to remain competitive with Uniden's R1 and R3 detectors. There emphasis appears to be more along the line of features like WiFi connectivity for firmware updates and Bluetooth connectivity to their phone app. Like I mentioned in the Uniden R3 review above, I wanted to stay with an Escort radar detector, but long range performance is far more important than WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity as far as I am concerned. Right now the Uniden R3 is in such high demand that many sellers are back ordered with customers waiting for delivery.

Agree. I like the compact size of the uniden. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the review!

Goodbye Escort, Hello Uniden

Dan,

Thanks for this kick in my @$$! I’ve been driving copilot-less for the last several years. Luckily I’ve only gotten 2 tickets. I’ve been procrastinating in getting a radar detector for the last 12-18 months. You saved me a lot of time and probably a lot of $$$!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdandy (Post 892196)

Craig.......I appreciate the kind words. Do you use a radar detector in your vehicle? I am curious who uses radar detection, what models, and what the experiences have been.

Before retiring I always used company vehicles and put 60,000+ miles on them each year running between the home office in Florida and various projects in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, and Texas. It took me a lot of windshield time to coordinate people and projects that required my presence, often for extended periods. When driving that many miles per year, a lot of it on Interstates highways and state roads, I did not waste much time getting from project to project or back to the home office, or back home. By not wasting time I mean I usually drove over the posted speed limit by 15 to 20 mph nearly every place I drove. A radar detector was a survival tool. There were a few times in all those years where I got caught on radar with instant-on and the Highway Patrol or State Troopers were well hidden. I paid some big tickets and once got up to 9 points on my license in a 12 month period. 12 points in a year is when Florida takes your license for a substantial time period. But for the times I got caught and ticketed there were hundreds of times my radar detector alerted me with enough time to reduce my speed to the speed limit before I was actually in the zone where my speed could be clocked with radar. Like I said, a radar detector was a necessary survival tool and using one saved me thousands of dollars in fines and my driver's license. Now a radar detector is just a signalling device I feel comfortable driving with to capture my attention and help me remain safe. The high speed days are behind me.

Hi Dan,

No, I have never used a Radar Detector. I probably, No, have, been lucky through the years but much like you, I don’t push the limits on the streets. I save that for my track driving.

Between racing in the 24hrs of LeMons and track days, I am getting my fill of high speed driving.

I do use WAZE when on the interstate. I find it pretty useful.

Craig

Another real bonus with the Uniden R3 is its price. Granted, $399.00 for a radar detector is not chump change but it's performance far exceeds its price when compared to the competition. The new Escort MAX360C is $699.99. The Escort MAX360 without the Wifi is $649.99. $250.00 to $300.00 more for considerably less performance doesn't sound like good value to me.

This fellow is known as Vortex Radar on YouTube and his website. Lots of useful information on the Uniden R3 as well as many other manufactures. This video is an early look at the Uniden R3 before it was released for sale to the general public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7eOraxSUWs

Fortunately in Montana, the police generally don’t use speeding tickets as a source of revenue. During highschool and college in Michigan, I had at least a few tickets per year. Some for 5mph over the limit. Ridiculous. When I moved to Montana, the limit was “Reasonable and Prudent”. This was eventually changed, in part to remove ambiguity (and mostly because a couple of nimrods argued 120mph was both reasonable and prudent). Currently the limit is 80mph on the interstate and 70mph on secondary roads. I generally do not exceeed either of these limits and I am not sure to what extent I’d benefit from the advanced capabilities of the new detectors. However, if I still lived in Michigan I would certainly have one and it looks like the Uniden R3 is the one to beat.
Great write up, Dan.

Goodbye Escort, Hello Uniden

Dan,

I ordered mine and I should have it mid week. What did you use for hardwiring your detector?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cohibaman (Post 892749)

Dan,

I ordered mine and I should have it mid week. What did you use for hardwiring your detector?

I already had my Escort hard wired to my fuse block so I was able to just plug it in to the R3. There is a hard wire kit you can order for the Uniden R3.

This hard wire kit from Amazon will work on the R3. https://www.amazon.com/Direct-Hard-U.../dp/B018RBBWWS