Uniden R1 & R3 Firmware 1.46 Released

Uniden has just released firmware 1.46 for the R1 and the R3.

You can download firmware 1.46 here. 

1.46 brings a bunch of changes and improvements to the detectors that we enthusiasts have been asking for. There’s been many revisions to get here. Let’s take a look at all the new features we’re getting with this latest update.

MRCD / MRCT Detection

The R1 and R3 now have the ability to detect the MultaRadar CD and CT low powered radar guns. These are used in photo radar applications in Alberta, Quebec, New York City, Chicago, and in Maryland near Washington D.C.

In the settings there is now an option to turn MRCD on or off. There are also 12 different alert tones you can choose from so that MRCD alerts have a unique alert, making it easy for you to immediately tell there’s an MRCD threat ahead so you can respond quickly.

It works well in testing and gives you sufficient advanced warning to slow down and avoid a ticket. We have seen a few MRCD false alerts just like with other detectors, primarily to certain speed signs or automatic door openers, but fewer falses than some of the other detectors out there.  Because it may false occasionally, I wouldn’t recommend enabling MRCD unless it’s in use in your area. Additionally, when MRCD detection is enabled, there is a slight reduction in K band sensitivity. Something else we’ve noticed in testing is that certain MRCD sources the detector doesn’t alert to. Our best guess it that they are transmitting below 24.050, the lower cutoff where the R3 is able to sweep (a hardware limitation), and if the MRCD source is transmitting below that range, the R3 won’t be able to alert to it.

You also have the ability to lock out MRCD alerts should you need to (when you enable Ka lockouts, another newly added feature, you’ll also gain the ability to lock out MRCD). If you have both K band and MRCD alerts closeby, be careful to ensure you lock out the one you intend to. MRCD lockouts are off by default.

Alert priority is now Laser -> MRCD -> Ka -> K -> X.

More GPS Lockouts Available

Uniden has bumped the maximum amount of GPS lockouts on the R3 from 200 to 500. While I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone ever running out of lockouts when we only had 200, it’s always been a concern so they’ve raised the limits accordingly.

The manually marked locations have also been changed from a max of 200 to 500 as well.

Ka Lockouts

We now have an option available that allows us to lock out not just X and K band alerts, but Ka band alerts as well.

Locking out Ka band can be risky since Ka alerts are almost always a police officer, but in some places they use Ka band speed signs so if you’d like to be able to lock out sources of Ka band that you are 100% sure are false alerts, you can now enable Ka lockouts in the menu and then double tap the mute button on the R3 to lock out the false Ka alert.

Since Ka lockouts are kind of an advanced feature, you have the option of allowing the detector to only let you lock out X and K band alerts (default) or X, K, and Ka bands.

R3 lockout X K or X K Ka on 1.40

Note: Enabling Ka lockouts also enables MRCD lockouts.

New Ka Bogey Alert Tone

When you’re driving and the detector picks up an additional Ka signal, to make it more clear that a new signal is present, the detector can now play a quick “new bogey” tone.

This makes it easy to tell when a new signal is present and that the detector’s audio alerts are now responding to a different signal. This can happen when the detector picks up another officer shooting Ka band nearby or if the same officer switches between his front and rear antennas and thus you’ll see a new frequency signal.

Since it is normal for the frequency of a detected signal to fluctuate +/- 1-3 MHz or so, the new bogey tone will only alert if it detects a new signal that is at least +/- 5 MHz relative to the original signal to avoid unnecessarily triggering the new bogey alert.

You have 5 new choices for the new Ka bogey alert tone. Here’s a demo of the different options.

Mute and Delete both RLC’s & Speed Camera alerts

We now have the ability to both mute and delete red light camera alerts and speed camera alerts on the R3.

A short press of the mute button during an alert will mute the alert. Press it again to unmute.

Long press the mute button to delete the RLC / speedcam alert and then short press it again to confirm.

Here’s a quick video demo muting, unmuting, and deleting an RLC alert.

RLC / Speed Cam Database updated

Speaking of RLC alerts, the database of redlight cameras and speed cameras has been updated as well.

Note: The GPS database for the DFR7 and DFR9 have been updated as well.

Improved Laser False Alert Filtering

The R1 and R3 will sometimes give false alerts to laser. 1.46 improves the filtering to cut down on laser falsing.

R3 Laser Alert

TSF Filters Out More Traffic Sensors

Uniden changed their traffic sensor filter between firmware 1.25 and 1.26. Drivers in certain parts of the country, such as Colorado, found that after Uniden made the change, TSF was no longer able to block out traffic sensors and so as of firmware 1.46, TSF has been reverted back to the same filter we had with firmware 1.25.

Several Solutions to Help Avoid Burn-in

The OLED display on the R series is susceptible to burn-in where parts of the display can be permanently etched into the screen after the display has been showing the same thing for many many hours. You can see an example of it here in this photo of @Jag42’s R3.

R3 OLED display burn-in saying City, photo by Jag42

To help with this issue, Uniden has introduced a number of different changes to the display, many of which are designed to help avoid this issue.

Dark Mode Blinking Dot

If you set the detector’s display into dark mode, the screen will turn off and there will be a little blinking dot at the bottom of the screen that will move around from left to center to right. This is so that even if the display is turned off while you’re not picking up a signal, you can still confirm that the detector is powered on and running normally.

When you receive a signal, the detector will turn on normally and then once the signal goes away, the blinking dot comes back.

Brightness Setting for Dark Mode

You now have the ability to adjust the brightness level in dark mode to adjust how bright the screen gets when you get an alert. Bright? Dim? Dimmer? Up to you.

R3 Dark Mode dimmer brightness level

Uniden Boot Logo Color Now Matches Display Color

When you start up your detector, the color of the Uniden logo now matches the display color. It’s no longer always blue.

Colored Boot Logos

Default Display Color Now Red

To help reduce the chances of burn-in, the default display color is now set to red.

Maximum Display Brightness Slightly Reduced

The maximum display brightness level has been slightly reduced so that the pixels are no longer running at their maximum. The differences is almost imperceptible, but this will also help avoid burn-in.

Voltage Display Location Slightly Shifts Over Time

If you run your detector in voltage display mode, previously that text would always stay fixed in the same location, eventually leading to burn-in. The location of the text will now slightly shift around the display over time so that pixels get a break over time.

AM/PM Design Changed

Finally, another thing Uniden has done to help with burn-in for those of you who’ve been running the R3 for a while is they’ve changed the design of the AM/PM designation on screen. By making this look different, new pixels are now being used and the old ones are getting a break.

1.37 and 1.46 times displayed differently

Updating to 1.46

If you’d like to watch a tutorial on how to update, here’s the update tutorial for Windows and here’s the update tutorial for Mac, but here is the general idea:

To update to firmware 1.46, download the firmware update from Uniden’s website. (Click on the gray button labeled “Firmware” and you’ll see the download links.)

R3 Firmware Update 1.37 to 1.46Make sure you install the drivers if it’s your first time updating.

Plug your detector into your computer with a MiniUSB cable.

Run the update software, use it to find and open the .bin file which is the firmware file (don’t try to open the .bin file directly), and then install the firmware onto your detector.

Once you update, make sure you do a factory reset of your detector. (Some people have found that the detector may not alert properly after an update until you do a factory reset.)

Finally, go in and program your detector. Here’s my setup tutorial for the R1 and the R3. (There’s some new settings that I’ll need to add to that tutorial, but this update post will help explain the new ones.)

If you need to purchase either detector, here’s where to go:

Click here to purchase the Uniden R1.

Click here to purchase the Uniden R3.

Questions?

If you have any questions, let me know down in the comment area below or hop onto the 1.46 discussion thread on RDF.

Thank you Uniden for listening to your customers and implementing our requests! Keep it up! 🙂

This website contains affiliate links and I sometimes make commissions on purchases. All opinions are my own. I don’t do paid or sponsored reviews.

Click here to read my affiliate disclosure.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2018/10/uniden-r1-r3-firmware-1-46-released/

57 comments

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    • Marc McCord on October 5, 2018 at 1:43 pm
    • Reply

    Now if they can just make the fonts on the speed and compass larger… Excellent update, and great that this company goes above and beyond to keep their product up to date.

    • Dash on October 5, 2018 at 1:50 pm
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    So the default display color now is red, doe that mean if we choose a different color on Menu we will have a higher chance of burn in?

      • Dash on October 6, 2018 at 2:25 pm
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      Anyone?

    • John Willey on October 5, 2018 at 2:40 pm
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    Must say, I AM impressed that Uniden didn’t “force” us to purchase new units to gain coverage on additional frequencies, plus the bogey Ka alert. They realistically could have asked users to pony up for a new detector. They’d have lost maybe 5% of their users—but even if only 1,000 users bought the new “model” for, say $399.00 that’s $400,000 in revenue they forfeited.

    I wonder how many R3 users out there WOULD have paid $399.00 to have the upgraded features, along with a brand new non-burnt in display??

    1,000? 5,000? 20,000???

    Wonder if they did a market study on it, or just decided they’d be happy with the brand loyalty bump….

    • Ferd on October 5, 2018 at 4:40 pm
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    Big huge humongous tip: Don’t have your detector powered on. The USB cable will power it.

    • Marc on October 5, 2018 at 7:12 pm
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    When I finally got to the download tool it just says searching but will not recognize my detector. What am I doing wrong? more complicated than I thought.

    • Marc on October 5, 2018 at 7:40 pm
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    Finally got it to connect but I can’t find the .bin file. This is too hard for an old guy…

    1. Go back and see where you browser downloaded it. Maybe your Desktop or your Download folder? It’s the same as downloading any other file on the internet.

      • Sorin on October 7, 2018 at 12:00 pm
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      Marc, the downloaded file from Uniden website is an archive .zip file. You must extract the files from this archive, and you will find the .bin file. Good luck!

    • George on October 5, 2018 at 9:20 pm
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    Now just bring the arrows. ????

    • Ron on October 7, 2018 at 11:50 am
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    I am trying to upgrade to 1.46 but only 1.37 keeps coming up. Any ideas?

    • Craig on October 7, 2018 at 1:18 pm
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    Tried to update on Mac and Windows and cannot find a way to make either it work. Any ideas as I have given up.
    I have followed instructions for both OS and am out of ideas.

    1. Post on the forums and let people know what you’ve done so far including installing the drivers first, trying different cables, what version of the OS you’re running, and so forth, and then exactly which part you’re getting stuck on. https://www.rdforum.org/index.php?forums/169/

    • Alex T on October 10, 2018 at 4:49 am
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    I updated to the 1.46 firmware the other day. I just drove through a photo radar truck on the side of the road my mrcd did not go off even though I do have it turned on once I passed the truck my K band went off at 24.093 Can you think of any reason why the Mr CD did not go off before I passed the truck?

    1. Just like with normal radar guns, MRCD is not always turned on and transmitting. In general MRCD detections will be short range detections, but you should get some advanced warning nonetheless. Based on what you’re saying though, with that range detection and the fact that the detector didn’t alert to MRCD, it sounds like MRCD was not actively in use at that time.

    • GEORGE WILLIAMSON on October 10, 2018 at 10:10 am
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    When you purchase a new detector will it already have the update?

    1. Chances are, because it just got released, probably not. You can update it yourself once you receive it which is a good thing to know how to do anyway.

    • Dash on October 11, 2018 at 7:40 am
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    Can anyone comment on my previous post:

    So the default display color now is red, doe that mean if we choose a different color on Menu we will have a higher chance of burn in?

    1. Uniden wants people to avoid using Blue which puts more of a strain on the pixels than Red does. You can google OLED burn-in if you like since it’s a property specific to OLED technology in general which applies to many devices besides just radar detectors so there’s lots of discussion on the topic available.

        • Dash on October 11, 2018 at 8:41 am
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        thx nuff said!

    • Marc on October 14, 2018 at 11:27 am
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    I did figure it out and get it loaded on my R3. Thanks to everyone for the help. But… I am having many more falses now than on the old version. I can’t understand that. I have had to turn off Laser completely because it goes off at crazy times, like in the middle of nowhere. K band falses a ton, and not even close to blind spot monitors, speed signs, etc. This is a major problem. Only Ka keeps from falsing. Is this something you have heard from others? I’m beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t have gone with the Radenso because of it’s excellent filtering.

    • Frank A on October 14, 2018 at 2:20 pm
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    I have updated my R3 and have MRCD turned on. I passed a speed cam on the Staten Island Express Way service road west bound before the Sunoco gas station, I received a speed cam warning about 800 ft before going past the speed cam. (GOOD THING) The MRCD did not go off untill I was past the cam and being clocked. (NOT GOOD) If this is used in mobil cars we will be in trouble for sure!!

    1. I don’t believe MRCD is used there. Sounds like it was just a coincidental false alert.

        • Frank A on October 19, 2018 at 4:20 am
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        You can see the cam on it’s own pole just off the sidewalk curb. It’s been there for over a year . I will go past again and see what happens.

        • Frank A on October 20, 2018 at 2:02 pm
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        I went past it again today and the R3 did the same thing. I think because the speed cam is in the Uniden data base it will over ride the MRCD signal and give you a speed cam warning FIRST! After you pass the location it will report the MRCD signal because it’s clocking you after you pass the location. All speed cams on Staten Island are MRCD. I think the only way to test it is to go past one that IS NOT in the data base to test how good it is at seeing this low power radar.
        I also own an Escort 360c and a V1. The 360c will give you the “Speed cam ahead” warning but will not see the signal. The V1 unless you run it with all K ban filters off you will not get a warning. I run my V1 with V1 Driver and I have updated it to the newest version software from the factory 3 times over the years. I’ve had my V1 since 2002 it has saved me from a sure ticket at least 10 times! I consider it one of the best buys I have ever made.

  1. Hey Vortex,
    I think this company has been added lot of features in their updated version. specially the blinking dot mode.its amazing and really helpful.
    Very soon i am going grab this device.
    Thank you for your amazing post.
    cheers

    • Addy Nattavorathan on October 19, 2018 at 10:37 am
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    After update to v 1.46 I have a lot of fall alarm like car, traffic light especially k bad, and certain area shopping mall, please help me to set up, or down grad to the old one, thanks Addy

    • Anthony Toglia on October 21, 2018 at 5:56 pm
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    I live in California. Would it make sense to just turn off X and K Bands altogether in the R3 menu? Will turning off K-Band have any impact to other alerts? Thanks for any advice as I am on a (re)learning curve after a long hiatus due to buying a Tesla Model S with metallic windshield. Right now, I am experimenting in my new Tesla Model 3 between using CITY mode, versus turning off X and K altogether.

    Tony
    PS. I do miss the arrows from my old V1…

    • Anthony Toglia on October 21, 2018 at 7:54 pm
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    Ha! Nevermind. I found more excellent material here that recommends K = “typically off” for California users.
    Thanks! Love your Blog and YouTube channel!

    • Aziz on October 24, 2018 at 8:02 am
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    Hi Vortex,
    Does Uniden or any other radar detectors you recommend has international versions that will work in Russia and CIS countries, is there any GPS database for that region. If yes, please let know, tnx.

    Aziz

    • Glenn Goll on October 25, 2018 at 4:35 am
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    Hi, Vortex guy.

    I like to install 1.46, I read alot of user are having problems with the upgrade and going back
    to 1.37. Any advise you can give me.

    1. I published a video about that the other day. https://youtu.be/MzFlljZ8KOo

    • Fritz on October 26, 2018 at 9:12 pm
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    Hello Vortex, not so recent ago my radar detector gave out it was a beltronics Pro300. So I did some research n I bought the Escort iX. Very close call with Lazer alert. I got pulled over but I got lucky n the police man gave me the benefit of the doubt it wasn’t me. He appeared over a bridge connecting to the highway n I slowed down b4 he came to view. So I then returned it n bought the Escort Redline. Thing beeped too many times and I returned the Redline a few days later. Finaly I found the Uniden R3 which I couldn’t find anywhere n with all the great reviews about it being King of radars n such I bought it. Here’s the very disappointing truth. I got BUSTED!!!!!!! speed limit was 100km and I was going 140km. The machine went crazy litterly seconds b4 I saw my captur. Pulled me over and handed me a ticket of $200 and I was lucky to keep my vehicle. I called Uniden they said maybe the machine didn’t have the latest firmware. Not the case I had the latest firm war 137, now is 142. Escort would have paid my ticket Uniden said no. Please fill me in on how the hell number 1 Radar Uniden R3 failed me Horribly? When I got pulled over with the iX was maybe 10-15seconds lazer alert before I saw my captur. With the Uniden r3 3 to 4 seconds on Ka band before I saw my captur and got a ticket. Both times I was doing 140km.

    1. Sorry about the ticket! Sounds like you need to learn a little more about your tools, which tool to use, and their limitations.

      The R3 does have better range than the iX, but even it can be defeated by instant on. That’s why having a rabbit can be helpful too. See this video: https://youtu.be/Siv–_3eTxs

      Against laser, really no radar detector is helpful. You’ll need a laser jammer to complement your radar detector. See this video for info about that: https://youtu.be/Jhs9oqeMq3Q

      Also please keep in mind that radar detectors do not make you immune to speeding tickets. They simply help lean the odds more in your favor.

      Get a laser jammer, use a rabbit in tougher situations, run waze, and you’ll help lean the odds in your favor even more. There’s many tools here and throwing a radar detector on your windshield is not the only thing to do. It helps, but it’s not going to protect you in 100% of cases by any means.

        • Scott Edmondson on October 27, 2018 at 12:49 pm
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        What is a rabbit?

    • JK on October 27, 2018 at 9:42 am
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    Anybody having problems with the file shutting down unexpectantly? As soon as I attempt to run the download it won’t open.
    Thanks

      • Jason on November 4, 2018 at 9:56 am
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      Didn’t happen when I updated, did you follow the guide?

      Windows
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrzWm-7-F5E&feature=youtu.be

      Mac

    • Camilo Cardenas on November 1, 2018 at 10:46 pm
    • Reply

    Vortex
    I bought my R3 about over a year ago. I havent installed any firmware updates. Do I have to install all each firmware update individually or can I just install the latest (1.46) and still recieve past and present updates. Thanks from Kennewick Washington

    1. You can install just the latest update and get everything. No need to do all the past ones one by one.

    • Jason on November 4, 2018 at 9:54 am
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    Thank you for replying to comments so diligently and for having such a comprehensive guide on the update (videos as well!).

    I was wondering if you would tweak settings that you mentioned in this article: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/how-to-program-and-set-up-your-uniden-r1-and-r3/

    Ka is almost always a police officer (in my experience driving around in Northern VA), and I have been running the settings in the aforementioned article since I got the R3 three months ago. Now whenever I get a K band, on the highway I look for a Honda/Acura before muting. Would you recommend against doing “mute memory” for those instances? I think I definitely use my share of “mute memory” haha

    1. Yeah, mute memory is intended ONLY for stationary sources, not for moving ones. If you lock out an Acura, it’s possible that next time there’ll be a police officer shooting K band in that area and your detector will filter it out. See this video to learn how to use that feature: https://youtu.be/N5gYYtxNfL4

        • Jason on November 5, 2018 at 9:06 am
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        Fair enough! I will think about resetting my “mute memory” log. To be fair though, I have never seen a police officer shooting K band in Fairfax county/Arlington. Guess it’s just the area I drive. Always have Waze running as well though. What about the settings? Would you tweak them now, or should you just keep them the same? I’ve been people on some of your YouTube videos saying they prefer running it on “advanced” mode at 60% – not quite sure what that is.

        1. If you have a bunch of questions, your best bet is to hop onto the radar detector discussion forums where you’ll get a ton of useful information including info from other people who drive in your area. https://www.rdforum.org/index.php

          As far as the Uniden’s settings, see my tutorial which explains what all the different features do. https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/how-to-program-and-set-up-your-uniden-r1-and-r3/

    • Tim C on November 5, 2018 at 5:40 pm
    • Reply

    i am trying to update from the mac installer and everything is fine until i hit the open button to find the new firmware 1.46 and the downloader window freezes everything else on my computer works fine i have deleted the downloader and reinstalled it multiple times and still the same issue anyone else have this problem??

    • Vincent Mancini on November 23, 2018 at 7:28 am
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    I’m from Las Vegas and successfully run the R3 updated, we drove to Sedona in AZ this weeks and I’m so glad that I didn’t shut out the KBand… turns out 4 different officers on I40 shot me with a KBand radar… this may not be the best place for this info, but hopefully it helps others.
    VegasVinMan

    • Maria on November 25, 2018 at 4:23 pm
    • Reply

    Hi, I have the Uniden R3 and so far it has been one of the best radars I have owned however recently it stopped giving me any type of signals what so ever. I did the system upgrade and it still isnt working ☹️ Any suggestions? Thank You in advanced!

    • Carlos Hernandez on December 2, 2018 at 7:14 pm
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    Hi, I just got the Uniden R3, read the manual, your tips and advice and installed the new firmware. I have a question about that last bit. In the Uniden Support site, stated that the last step was to “Reset the device to the factory default settings by using the menu after new firmware has been installed”. Does that mean that once you update it, you have to reset it to factory settings? Or just plug it in and keep going? I know its kinda of a silly question but since I’m brand new to this I want to make extra sure that I’m doing things right.

    1. Right, after updating they recommend doing a factory reset and then customizing your settings.

        • Maria on December 3, 2018 at 10:48 am
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        I did a factory reset on mines and also customized my settings, and still isnt picking anything up.

    • Frank S Abbatemarco on December 4, 2018 at 7:26 am
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    MRCD detection in the R3 is tops. All speed cams in Staten Island NY are MRCD the one I go past 2 or 3 times a month is located on the Staten Is Expressway service road near a Sunoco Gas station westbound.
    As you get to about 5 to 600 ft of the speed cam you will get the speed cam a head warning because the cam is in the data base. Now as you pass the cam you then are in the MRCD signal and the R3 will come to life and report the signal but did you know it also told me that my speed was 31 MPH and I was in a 30 MPH speed zone. I think that is really cool.
    You have to be going 11 MPH over the speed limit to get a ticket in the mail so I was OK. The R1 can do it all and is a great value at around $400.

    • john on March 16, 2019 at 1:41 pm
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    bought a uniden r3 on march 9,2019 from best buy,on march 16,uniden data cable bwzg1666001 came.downloaded updates to my win 10 pc laptop.then hooked cabe to detector,then to pc usb.get “cp2102 usb to uart bridge controller,driver unavailable.the sw download tool is still auto connecting after trying for hours.any ideas?

    1. For tech support, please contact Uniden or post on the forums here: https://www.rdforum.org/index.php?forums/169/

    • Ken Marx on July 2, 2019 at 1:05 pm
    • Reply

    Hi, I bought an R3 about 15 months ago and the GPS has stopped working. I bought this largely based on your review and recommendation. Now Uniden wants $85 for repair and possibly more of it had to be replaced. Are you aware of GPS failing on these? Any suggestions for possible troubleshooting? I’ve updated to latest firmware and done several factory resets. Thanks for any help you can give.

    1. Sorry to hear that. I don’t think I’ve heard of the GPS itself ever failing altogether. It can happen though and it sounds like you’ve already done some of the typical troubleshooting things.

    • Ken Marx on July 2, 2019 at 4:57 pm
    • Reply

    ok, thanks. Any recommendations whether I should pursue the repair of consider an alternative?

    1. That’s not something I can help you with unfortunately. Uniden’s customer service would be the best people to help you.

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