I have not had one in years so I'm not up on what Texas DPS is using these days. If I'm speeding it's mostly on state highways and interstate in rural areas. I know DPS uses laser in urban areas but I think they tend to use radar more in the sticks. No sure of that though. I think a good long-range radar detector would address most of my risk from DPS and Barney. The Uniden R7 is on the top of my list. Opinions?

Maybe not "the best" but my Escort 8500 X50 has saved me plenty, at a budget price point. I don't speed as much as I used to at all, but drive on two ZERO tolerance highways daily. I can handle driving the speed limit, but limit the time in the opposite lane when passing. Folks I know have been pulled over for less than 4mph over, and one got a ticket.

R7 is the best currently, especially when price is factored in. However, it was so chatty that I only kept mine about 4 months and I sold it. Great range, but just too sensitive to junk.

Whatever you do, Waze is a requirement. Waze by itself is an ok solution, but Waze with even a mediocre detector is a really good system.

If you want a game changing approach that will make all other detectors obsolete, Google Radenso Theia and start saving your money. Zero false beeps isn't going to be a hollow promise for these guys, this is a paradigm shift in radar detection using the type of logic and strategy our electronic warfare industry has been using for decades.

My opinion, if you are going to spend $300 - $400 on an R7, just buy once / cry one and spend $800 on Theia, because that R7 will beep so much that you'll stop trusting it, which is a dangerous situation where speeding fines are concerned.

I ended up disabling K band completely on my escort redline despite my local PD being one of the few that still use that band. It was constant false alarms anytime I was near a late model GM SUV. After that it was much quieter and still had excellent coverage for motorcycle cops and troopers. Supposedly the newer models filter K band better. My V1 was even worse than the redline, but supposedly they've solved that problem too.

I also agree that using a detector in conjunction with Waze is the best methodology. One or the other is helpful, but they are most effective when used together.

As I've gotten older I just keep it 10 mph or less over the speed limit except for short bursts of acceleration and I've found they won't mess with me at those speeds for the most part. They rarely catch the short bursts of acceleration, but I did get busted doing that once, but his timing was impeccable.

I have a Uniden R3 that has been very consistent at picking up KA signals way way in advance.

Back almost 20 years ago I had a V1 and still got multiple tickets. But I was a madman for a few years there.

No matter what you get, you still have to stay vigilant with your eyes.

Roger350 said:

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R7 is the best currently, especially when price is factored in. However, it was so chatty that I only kept mine about 4 months and I sold it. Great range, but just too sensitive to junk.

Whatever you do, Waze is a requirement. Waze by itself is an ok solution, but Waze with even a mediocre detector is a really good system.

If you want a game changing approach that will make all other detectors obsolete, Google Radenso Theia and start saving your money. Zero false beeps isn't going to be a hollow promise for these guys, this is a paradigm shift in radar detection using the type of logic and strategy our electronic warfare industry has been using for decades.

My opinion, if you are going to spend $300 - $400 on an R7, just buy once / cry one and spend $800 on Theia, because that R7 will beep so much that you'll stop trusting it, which is a dangerous situation where speeding fines are concerned.

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Did you find the R7 to be chatty in rural areas too or just urban/suburban?

Highway 6 between Waco and BCS is as rural as I got during football season. If there were no cars around it was quiet, but anything with blind spot monitoring or smart cruise control would set it off. I found it no quieter than my original V1 that never had BSM filtering. I now run my old V1, with X and K turned off, and Waze on my phone. With that combo I suspect about 33% is picked up first by the V1, 33% by Waze, and the other 33% by my eyes and situational awareness of terrain and common hiding places.

I'm just waiting on Theia to be released to really be protected well again.

Depending on the price difference between the R3 and the R7 you might want to consider an R3 for the same range but no arrows. Personally I could never live without the arrows, but if you have never had them you may not miss them. Maybe they have improved the R7 filtering by now. It is a great detector, with great features, it just didn't have good BSM filtering.

Update: Got an R3. R7 just did not seem to be worth another $200. Ka range is very impressive. Picked up several local PD on Ka band in Liberty Hill, Bertram, and Marble Falls on my way back to the lake from Austin. R3 alerted well before any of them were visible. Lot's of K band noise in every town but very quiet out on the highway. I guess local PD just drive around with their radar on. Only one of them seemed to be actually doing traffic patrol. Passed one DPS on the side of the road on 281 but got no alert. Looked like he was doing paperwork or something. Did not have anyone stopped.

I'm considering disabling or doing some filtering on K band. Does any agency in TX use K band for speed radar anymore?

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Back almost 20 years ago I had a V1 and still got multiple tickets. But I was a madman for a few years there.

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Username checks out

Local sherrifs do still use K in some areas. Rockwall County uses K exclusively. Don't know how widespread K is in hill country, but I would say running with K off would be like running with one eye closed. There are only 1 or 2 states that still use X, so you can turn X off without too much worry.

Roger350 said:

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Local sherrifs do still use K in some areas. Rockwall County uses K exclusively. Don't know how widespread K is in hill country, but I would say running with K off would be like running with one eye closed. There are only 1 or 2 states that still use X, so you can turn X off without too much worry.

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Thanks. Yeah the R3 default is X disabled. I'm going to keep running the K band for a while and see what I see. Later I may disable it for my regular drives and turn it back on if I'm roaming outside my comfort zone.