Uniden DFR6 Review & Uniden DFR7 Review: Best Bang for the Buck Radar Detectors

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  • July 3, 2017

  • July 3, 2017

  • 14 mins to read

Update August 2020: The DFR7 is being discontinued and replaced by the DFR9. You can now buy it for just $169 (or less) and is a killer bang for the buck. If you’re looking for a good budget radar detector, I highly suggest you pick up a DFR7 while you still can. In this price range, you won’t find anything close to its performance or featureset.

Original Review: At around $299 (available on Amazon or through BRD), the Uniden DFR7 is one of the best bang for the buck radar detectors you can get. Against the radar frequency used most around the US (Ka band, 34.7), it offers performance comparable to detectors that cost $100-200 more, it has some of the best blind spot filtering available at any price, plus it offers all the important GPS features you need to make this a well-rounded radar detector suitable for both highway and city driving. In this Uniden DFR7 review, we’ll go over what makes this detector such a great option for drivers as well as things you need to look out for.

At this point, whenever someone is looking for a good and relatively inexpensive radar detector for both highway and city driving, the DFR7 is the first one I point them towards. There’s times when another detector would be a better choice (no detector is right for everyone) and I’ll point out a few examples of when this may be the case, but as an inexpensive yet still good all-around detector, this is a top pick.

Additionally, for people who want a more basic and/or even less expensive detector, the GPS-less version of the DFR7, called the DFR6, is available for around $199 (available on Amazon or through BRD) and it’s the best radar detector under $200 that’d I’d recommend. It offers identical performance and BSM filtering capabilities, just without the extra benefits of GPS (which I explain a bit about below).

Both the DFR6 and DFR7 are top picks for radar detectors and I’m going to focus primarily on the DFR7, especially since much of this applies to the DFR6 as well, but let’s go ahead and take a closer look at both.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/07/uniden-dfr6-dfr7-review/

Using American Radar Detectors Around the World?

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  • July 3, 2017

  • July 3, 2017

  • 3 mins to read

Using American radar detectors internationally and abroad in other countries map

A lot of you guys living overseas (all across Europe and in Saudi Arabia are the most common locations) have been asking me about which radar detector is best for your area. Which radar detector I’d recommend for your country. Unfortunately I can’t tell you that and what I have to share regarding American radar detectors and radar guns does not apply to your country. My recommendations only apply to the US and Canada. Here’s a few of the biggest key differences regarding what drivers experience around the world:

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/07/using-american-radar-detectors-around-the-world/

Uniden R1 Review & Uniden R3 Review: Best Radar Detectors?

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  • June 29, 2017

  • June 29, 2017

  • 16 mins to read

Uniden R3 review

I don’t remember the last time I’ve ever seen people this excited about a new radar detector… The most common question you guys ask me is, “What’s the best radar detector?” and because there’s so many different radar detectors available, all with their own unique advantages, my answer usually starts with “Well it depends…” However, with the introduction of the Uniden R1 and Uniden R3, we now have a radar detector that has virtually obliterated the competition and is easily one of if not THE best radar detector on the market. We definitely need to do a Uniden R1 review and a Uniden R3 review because these detectors have definitely simplified the selection process. I have a closet full of radar detectors, and yet this is what you’ll find sitting on my windshield because it’s stellar across the board. This is what I rely on to keep me protected and it continues to get updated and improved. What makes it so special? Let’s take a look…

(Updated October 2017)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/uniden-r1-uniden-r3-radar-detector-review/

New Long Range Remote Coming: DSP Net Radar

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  • June 28, 2017

  • June 28, 2017

  • 2 mins to read

So the cat has been let out of the bag. 🙂 For those of you guys who are loving the new high performance Uniden R1 and R3 but prefer remote mount detectors, Net Radar is currently developing an updated remote RD that is promising to offer long range performance and effective BSM filtering like the R1/R3 and it’ll plug it into your AntiLaser Priority laser jammer system to give you an integrated remote radar/laser setup.

Here’s a sneak peek at the internals of a development copy of the new DSP Net Radar (originally posted here).

DSP Net Radar internals

Internals of a development copy of the DSP Net Radar

Now this radar detector is still being developed and no word yet on exact pricing or release date since it’s still early on in the process. Also, for those of you guys who already have the current (and excellent) Net Radar antenna, when the new one comes out, you’ll be able to move it to the back, add the new one to the front, and use both together to get arrows. (or you could use two new ones as well). Either way, this should be a good option for both current and new Net Radar owners and it’s expected to be a solid contender for the best remote mount radar detector!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/new-long-range-remote-coming-dsp-net-radar/

Is Vortex Radar Biased or Sponsored by any Radar Detector Manufacturers?

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  • June 27, 2017

  • June 27, 2017

  • 16 mins to read

Vortex Radar headshotOccasionally, despite my focus on being an objective and unbiased tester, I’ll hear someone suggest that I must be paid or sponsored by manufacturers, I’m biased for one reason or another, or something along those lines. Honestly I find that fear totally understandable because that stuff happens among reviewers. As a matter of fact, those sorts of issues are why I got into testing in the first place. When I first got into radar detectors years ago, some of the primary sources of radar detector tests and reviews were from salesman pushing the products they sold while unfairly downplaying the products they couldn’t make money on as well as testers who were unwittingly putting out bad data simply because they didn’t know how to properly test radar detectors. There were some good testers out there too, but how could I know the difference? I just wanted to know the truth, for myself, about how detectors perform and which one is best for my own needs, so I just started testing them out to see what worked best for me and sharing my experiences along the way. I want to know which detectors offer the highest levels of protection.

One thing I love about radar detector testing is that anyone can go and independently test and verify claims for themselves. I do that, along with many other radar detector enthusiasts on RDF. I also highly encourage you to conduct your own testing as well, sharing your videos and results with the community. You’ll learn a ton yourself and it benefits others as well.

I’m also a huge believer in transparency. Now that I make a living off of testing and reviewing radar detectors (I didn’t when I first started out and that wasn’t my goal getting into this), I think it’s important for you to know how I do this, what my financial incentives are, as well as my own personal preferences and biases regarding radar detectors and how that factors into my recommendations and videos.

and finally, for the record, no I’m not sponsored by any manufacturer and I don’t work for any manufacturer. I do help test and develop radar detectors for many different manufacturers, but I’m not sponsored by any and actively turn down any such requests when they arise.

My goal is to provide the very best objective and unbiased radar detector information, no matter of if I get paid or not, no matter what brand name is written on the detector. If it’s awesome, I’ll tell you. If it sucks, I’ll tell you. If I’m being compensated in any way such as getting a free detector or making a percentage of the sale, I’ll tell you. You deserve to know.

Ultimately I just want to know the truth, that’s my number one priority, and that’s what I’m here to share with you.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/is-vortex-radar-biased-or-sponsored-by-radar-detector-manufacturers/

How Many Bands Can a Cobra Radar Detector Detect?

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  • June 26, 2017

  • June 26, 2017

  • 7 mins to read

One day some years ago, I was walking around the automotive section of Best Buy. (This was way back before I got into radar detectors.) I was checking out the different models they had on display, mostly different Cobra brand radar detectors, and wondering what the differences were between models. Some were more expensive. Some claimed to detect more bands than others. How many bands of detection did I need? With nothing else to go on, I figured that the best ones were the ones that detected the most amount of bands and had the highest price tags.

If you look online, you’ll see Cobra still advertising their detectors (particularly the older ones) as being able to detect lots of different bands, maybe 9 bands, 12 bands, 14 bands, 15 bands, etc.

What the heck is a “band” though? Is a model that more bands going to do a better job of protecting you? Why don’t other brands of radar detectors also advertise being able to detect so many bands? Why isn’t Cobra advertising how many bands their newer detectors can pick up? Let’s take a look at what all this means.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/how-many-bands-can-a-cobra-detect/

How to Conduct Long Range Radar Detector Testing Properly

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  • June 23, 2017

  • June 23, 2017

  • 18 mins to read

Radar detector test: 33.8 Sample Test Results

IMHO, testing radar detectors to see how they perform is a fantastic thing to do. You learn SO much, the results you share are incredibly beneficial to others, not to mention we need lots of different testers using different terrains, different test courses, and different detectors all working together to help us put together the big picture in a way that no single test could tell us. There’s many different types of tests you could do and I’d actively encourage people conduct their own tests because of how incredibly beneficial it is to not only the community, but to the testers themselves. Here’s some of the biggest benefits I’ve found to doing radar detector testing:

  • You can find out which radar detectors offer the best performance and longest detection distances
  • You can see how much terrain such as hills, curves, trees, and straightaways impact detection range
  • You can see how much different settings and filters impact the performance of your detector
  • You can see how much advanced warning the radar detector provides before the radar gun can pick up your vehicle’s speed
  • You learn SO much about radar in general when you get behind the radar gun
  • You provide incredibly valuable information to others

Now the thing is, while radar detector testing is tremendously useful, it’s also very very easy to make mistakes in a way that would totally invalidate your results, produce inaccurate results, and would completely mislead anyone reading the results. In fact some mistakes are so common (running two radar detectors next to each other at the same time is the biggest one. Never do this!!) that almost everyone makes the same mistakes when first starting out so I’d like to cover both the do’s and don’ts of how to conduct a radar detector test properly.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/how-to-conduct-long-range-radar-detector-testing-properly/

Uniden R3 vs. Escort Max360: Which Radar Detector Is Best?

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  • June 22, 2017

  • June 22, 2017

  • 19 mins to read

The Uniden R3 and the Escort Max360 are both fully featured top of the line radar detectors and lots of people have been asking which one is better and which one they should get. Honestly this has been a little tough to answer because while they have a lot of similarities, there’s also some important differences, so different detectors may appeal to different people. Let’s dive into things and figure out which one would be better for you.

Updated: November 2017

Escort Max360 vs. Uniden R3 radar detector comparison and review

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/uniden-r3-vs-escort-max360-which-radar-detector-is-best/

Where & How to Mount your Radar Detector for the Best Performance

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  • June 21, 2017

  • June 21, 2017

  • 16 mins to read

Where should you mount your radar detector on your windshield and how does that impact your radar detector’s performance? Should you mount it high or low? Should you skip over using suction cups altogether and hang it under your rear view mirror? Does a tint strip or do those black dots at the top of your windshield impact performance? Instead of mounting onto your windshield, should you opt for custom installed remote mount detector that’s installed somewhere in your grill instead? There’s a couple things to considering if you’re wondering where to mount your radar detector. Let’s take a look at the best places to mount a radar detector and the pros and cons of each mounting location.

Where to mount your radar detector on your windshield

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/where-and-how-to-mount-your-radar-detector-for-the-best-performance/

The Benefits of GPS in a Radar Detector

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  • June 20, 2017

  • June 20, 2017

  • 15 mins to read

Many higher end radar detectors include a GPS chip in the detector. Some detectors even come in two separate models, one with GPS and another without. Some detectors lack a GPS chip built-in, but they offer Bluetooth capability so you can pair it with your phone, run an app, and use your phone’s GPS to add the same functionality. Should you get a detector with GPS? What are the benefits of GPS? Would your driving require a GPS chip or would you be just fine with a more basic and less expensive detector? Let’s take a look at the benefits of having a GPS chip in your radar detector so that you can decide which route is best for you.

Uniden R3 & Uniden R1

Uniden R3 (left) and Uniden R1 (right)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/the-benefits-of-gps-in-a-radar-detector/

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