Let’s take a look at how to use your new Uniden R8, what all the buttons and menu options do, and how to configure your R8 for optimal performance and minimal false alerts. (Last updated April 2024.)
This guide is current as of firmware 1.28. You can download the latest firmware by using Uniden’s update software. Uniden continues to update and improve the R8 and as features are added or changed, this guide will be updated accordingly. You can also reference the Uniden R8 manual to learn more. This guide will explain things even further.
Uniden R8 Buttons & Functions
Video Walkthroughs
If you’d prefer to see the R8 in action instead of read, here is a video run-through of the buttons and interface of the R8 so you can learn how to use it while driving:
https://youtu.be/5so_2aEJ6ww
and then if you’d like to learn about the R8’s settings and menu options and see the features in action, here is the following information presented in video form:
R8’s Top Buttons
- Menu
- Short Press: Enter settings menu
- Short Press in Menu: Change / Activate setting
- Long Press: Switch between Highway / City / Auto / Advanced mode
- – Button
- Short Press: Lower volume
- Short Press in Menu: Previous menu option
- Long Press in Menu: Scroll through previous menu options
- + Button
- Short Press: Raise volume
- Short Press in Menu: Next menu option
- Long Press in Menu: Scroll through next menu options
- Power Button
- Long Press: Turn power on or off
R8’s Front Buttons
- Mute / Dim
- Press during an Alert: Mute alert
- Double press during an Alert: Create GPS lockout, remembering this false alert so it automatically mutes it in the future
- Long Press: Change display brightness
- Mark
- Short Press: Create GPS Mark so you get alerted every time you come by this area, useful for school zones, common speed trap locations, etc.
- Short Press during a Marked location alert: Delete GPS Mark
- Long Press: Bring up option to clear all GPS Marks (press again to confirm)
Uniden R8 Settings & Menu Options
Menu
Choose if you want the menu to only show a few basic options, or if you want to unlock every option available.
Basic: Simplified menu option list, shows only the following settings:
- Highway / City / Auto / Advanced
- Auto City speed (in Auto)
- X / K / Ka percentages (in Advanced)
- Speed Camera
- Speed C Range
- Redlight Camera
- RLC Quiet Ride Speed
- POI Pass Chime
- Voice
- Ka Frequency Voice
- X Band
- K Band
- Ka Band
- Laser
- MRCD/T
- Gatso RT3/4
- Display Mode
- Scan Icon
- Idle Display Mode
- Scan Icon
- Display
- Alert Display
- Speed Unit
- Auto Mute
- Auto Mute Volume
- Quiet Ride
- Quiet Ride Beep Volume
- Limit Speed
- Factory Reset
- Delete All Mute?
- Delete All Auto?
- Delete All User?
- SW Version
- DB Version
Expert: (Default) Gives you access to every single menu option available. It adds the following options to the Basic menu:
- Rear Balance
- GPS
- Laser Gun ID
- Laser TP
- Laser Modes
- Laser TP Setting
- K POP
- Ka POP
- K Filter
- Ka Filter
- TSF
- K Block 1
- K Block 2
- K Narrow / Wide / Extended
- Ka Narrow / Wide / Segmentation
- MRCD / Ka / Signal Priority
- Mute Memory X&K / X/K/Ka/MRCD
- Auto Mute Mem
- Auto Mem X&K / X/K/Ka/MRCD
- All Threat
- Display Color
- Arrow Color
- Band Color
- X Band Tone
- K Band Tone
- K Bogey Tone
- MRCD Tone
- Ka Band Tone
- Ka Bogey Tone
- Laser Tone
- Rear K Mute
- Dark Mode
- Auto Dim
- Backlight
- MRCD Quiet Ride
- Time Zone
- DST
- Battery Warning
- Battery Saver
- Self Test
- Memory Quota
- Bluetooth
- BT Pairing
Note: The MRCD options only show up when MRCD is enabled. The Auto Dim options only show up with the display brightness set to Auto.
Highway / City / Auto / Advanced
Adjust the sensitivity of the radar detector.
- Highway: (Default) Full sensitivity on all radar bands.
- City: K Band sensitivity is dropped to 10% (I need to confirm this number, but it’s something like that), greatly reducing false alarms at the expense of maximum range.
- Auto: K band sensitivity varies based on speed. At high speeds, the detector runs in Highway mode. At lower speeds it runs in City mode.
- Advanced: Individually adjust the sensitivity of the three different radar bands. Choose between 30% – 100% sensitivity in 10% increments.
- X Band
- K Band: A popular choice here is to manually dial back the K band sensitivity to cut down on falses.
- Ka Band
Note: Switching to Advanced mode only activates the ability to individual adjust the sensitivity of the different radar bands. It does not enable any other advanced features.
Auto City
Set the speed threshold for Auto mode. Above this speed, the detector runs at full sensitivity on K band, effectively running in Highway mode. Below this speed, the detector runs at minimum sensitivity on K band, effectively running in City mode.
- 10 – 60 mph in 5 mph increments (Default 40 mph) or 10-100 km/h in 10 km/h increments
Rear Bal
This setting allows you to better balance the rear antenna’s sensitivity in case you get excessively long alerts from behind.
The rear bal option will dial back the detector’s sensitivity on all bands relative to the detector’s set sensitivity (not its max capable sensitivity.)
For example, let’s say you set the detector to Advanced Mode with K band at 70%, Ka band at 100%, and set Rear bal to 50%. The rear antenna’s sensitivity on K band will be set to 50% of 70% or 35%. The rear antenna’s sensitivity on Ka band will be set to 50% of 100% or 50%.
- 30% – 100% in 10% increments (Default 100%)
GPS
Enable the different GPS related features and options like GPS lockouts, low speed muting, redlight camera alerts, etc.
The GPS features are incredibly useful so it’s recommended to definitely leave this on. If you turn this off, the GPS-related options will disappear out of the menu.
- On (Default)
- Off
Speed Camera
Notifies you when you approach speed cameras. It will also alert while you are above the speed threshold where the camera issues tickets.
- On (Default)
- Off
Note 1: These are GPS-based notifications that come from the downloadable database, separate from radar or laser alerts. The latest database generally comes packaged with the latest firmware.
Note 2: These alerts always occur even if the speed cameras only operate at certain times of the day such as in school zones.
Speed C Range
Choose the distance you’d like the detector to alert you to speed cameras (or redlight cameras).
- 1000 ft. / 300 m (Default)
- 2000 ft. / 600 m
- 2500 ft. / 760 m
- 3000 ft. / 900 m
- Auto
Auto mode applies just to speed cameras and varies your alert distance based on the speed limit threshold in the speed camera.
- Speed limit 50 or 60 km/h: Alert range 600m
- Speed limit 70 or 80 km/h: Alert range 700m
- Speed limit 100, 110, or 120 km/h: Alert range 800m
Redlight Cam
Notifies you when you approach redlight cameras.
- On (Default)
- Off
Note 1: Like speedcam alerts, these are GPS-based notifications, not radar or laser based alerts.
Note 2: The RLC alerts happen whenever you pass through an intersection with an RLC, even if the cameras only monitor one or two directions of travel.
RLC Q-Ride
Mute redlight camera alerts on nearby surface streets as you’re driving down the highway. This way you only get alerts when you’re driving on slower city streets. Think of it as high speed muting. Here you can select the maximum speed that you’ll still get RLC alerts.
- 50 – 85 MPH or 80 – 140 km/h
- Off (Default)
POI Passchime
Audibly play a chime when you pass a fixed point of interest like a speed cam or redlight camera. Some people find that alert annoying so you have the option to disable the chime if you like.
- On
- Off (Default)
Voice
Enable voice alerts for radar or laser signals (ie. “Ka Band”), direction (“Front,” “Side,” or “Rear”), as well as for the different menu options.
- On (Default)
- Off
Ka Frequency Voice
Verbally announce the exact frequency of the Ka band radar signal (ie. 34.759) to give you more information about the radar gun being used, without having to look up at the detector. Also handy for logging the exact frequencies on your dashcam footage. 🙂
- On
- Off (Default)
X Band
Enable or disable X band detection. X band is actively used in OH and southern NJ, but mostly phased out of the rest of the country.
- On
- Off (Default)
K Band
Enable or disable K band detection. K band is actively used throughout most of the country.
- On (Default)
- Off
Ka Band
Enable or disable Ka band detection. Ka is actively used all over the country and when your detector goes off to Ka, it’s almost always a legitimate alert.
- On (Default)
- Off
Laser
Enable or disable Laser detection. Laser detection is of little practical value because even if your R8 does go off (and often times it won’t because a laser beam is so thin), the officer already has your speed. For proper laser protection, I recommend pairing the AntiLaser Priority laser jammer with your R8. Uniden is also developing their own laser jamming system that will integrate directly to the R8.
- On (Default)
- Off
Laser Gun ID
This will visually identify the laser gun you’re shot with (brand or model) when the detector picks up an officer targeting you with laser.
- On
- Off (Default)
Laser TP
Enables Uniden’s not yet released laser jammers (laser transponders).
- On (Default)
- Off
Constant / Pulse / Receive Mode
Control how the laser transponders / jammers behave when you get shot with laser.
- Constant Mode: Unlimited jamming, used only for testing purposes. (Default)
- Pulse Mode: Automatically stop jamming after 10 seconds.
- Receive Mode: Detect laser only, but do not jam.
The AutoJTK time of 10 sec in Pulse Mode is unfortunately not adjustable. There is also currently no way to manually JTK either. IMO this MUST be changed once the jammers are released so we can tell the jammer to stop jamming.
Note: This setting only shows up when “Laser TP” is turned on.
Laser TP Setting
Tell the detector which heads are installed in the front or rear of your vehicle, as well as how the heads should behave when you get shot with a DragonEye.
TP1 – TP6 correspond to the 6 transponders.
- Front / Rx: Front transponder, Receive
- Front / Tx: Front transponder, Transmit
- Rear / Rx: Rear transponder, Receive
- Rear / Tx: Rear transponder, Transmit
When Uniden releases their laser jammers, you can reference their documentation regarding head placement and which heads should be set up to Tx or Rx.
Note: This setting only shows up when “Laser TP” is turned on.
K POP
Enable detection of K band POP detection. This is essentially unused in practice and it’s recommended to leave this off.
- On
- Off (Default)
MRCD/T
Detect the MultaRadar CD and CT which are low powered radar guns in use in a few state and provinces in North America. MultaRadar guns are in use in Alberta, Quebec, Chicago, NYC, and in Maryland near Washington D.C.
Enabling MRCD also helps to better filter out BSM falses from Mazda CX-5’s. However, turning this on will introduce additional MRCD falses so you may want to consider enabling MRCD GPS lockouts as well as MRCD Quiet Ride to help deal with the MRCD falses.
- On
- Off (Default)
Note 1: Not every MRCD alert is actually a legitimate MultaRadar source. False MRCD alerts from BSM’s or auto door openers can and will happen.
Note: The R8 will alert to both legit MRCD and MRCT sources as MRCD.
Gatso RT3/4
Enable detection of Gatso RT3 and RT4 photo radar systems.
Enabling this also leads to a bunch of Gatso falses so only enable it if you really do have Gatso systems in your area.
- On
- Off (Default)
Ka POP
Detect 67ms Ka band POP radar. This form of radar is essentially unused so it’s recommended to leave this off for improved performance and reduced false alerts.
- On
- Off (Default)
K Filter
Filter out many sources of K band false alerts such as many (but not all) cars with blind spot monitoring radar systems.
- On (Default)
- Off
Ka Filter
Filter out false alerts on Ka band. False Ka alerts are rare so people generally leave this off since you typically get better performance with it off, though I haven’t seen any Ka filter tests done yet to confirm.
- On
- Off (Default)
TSF
Traffic sensor filter designed to filter out traffic sensors on the sides of some highways that blast K band. If you get repeated K band alerts on your R8 on the highway that aren’t coming from nearby vehicles, turn on TSF.
- On
- Off (Default)
Note: I have also found TSF to be helpful at reducing BSM falses too. Testing does show a range drop on K band with TSF enabled, but it can be helpful for further BSM filtering.
K Block 1
This is essentially your Honda / Acura BSM filter. Those false alerts are extremely common and extremely difficult to filter out, so Uniden has given us several different notch filters to filter out false alerts between 24.194 – 24.204, effectively filtering out Honda / Acura falses. It also applies to some other vehicles like Chrysler Pacificas.
- On: Filter out all signals 24.199 +/- 5 MHz
- Weak: Filters out only weak signals 24.199 +/- 5 MHz (Default)
- Mute: Audibly mute all signals 24.199 +/- 5 MHz
- Off: Disable K Block 2
I personally prefer the Weak option since it seems to do a good job of completely filtering out weak BSM’s while still alerting to stronger signals in this frequency range like police radar guns at a distance.
K Block 2
This is similar to K Block 1, but it applies to 24.168 +/- 2 MHz which helps tackle BSM falses from Hondas, Acuras, GMCs, Jeeps, Chryslers, and Cadillacs.
- On: Filter out all signals 24.168 +/- 2 MHz
- Weak: Filters out only weak signals 24.168 +/- 2 MHz (Default)
- Mute: Audibly mute all signals 24.168 +/- 2 MHz
- Off: Disable K Block 2
K Narrow / Wide / Extended
Adjust the range of frequencies that the R8 scans for on K band.
- Narrow: Scan for a smaller range of K band frequencies to help cut down alerts from radar signals that are usually false alerts and occasionally legitimate alerts. (24.080 – 24.200)
- Wide: (Default) Scan for the entire range of K band that police normally use in the US (24.050 – 24.250)
- Extended: Scan for the entire range of K band that police use in North America, including lower frequency MRCD and Redflex cameras (23.900 – 24.250)
Ka Narrow / Wide / Segmentation
Adjust the range of frequencies that the R8 scans for on Ka band. All of Ka band is very wide so cutting down to a smaller range of frequencies improves the performance of the detector.
- Narrow: (Default) Scan for a reduced range of Ka frequencies to only the ranges where police radar guns generally operate (33.8 +/- 100 MHz, 34.7 -100 MHz / +150 MHz, 35.5 +/- 100 MHz)
- Wide: Scan all the possible Ka frequencies where the R8 is capable of scanning for (33.400 GHz – 35.700 GHz)
- Segmentation: Choose the individual Ka frequency ranges where you’d like the detector to scan for.
- Ka 1: 33.399 – 33.705 GHz
- Ka 2: 33.705 – 33.903 GHz (MPH 33.8 radar guns)
- Ka 3: 33.903 – 34.191 GHz
- Ka 4: 34.191 – 34.587 GHz (Stalker 34.7 radar guns that drift low)
- Ka 5: 34.587 – 34.803 GHz (Stalker 34.7 radar guns)
- Ka 6: 34.803 – 35.163 GHz (Stalker 34.7 radar guns that drift high)
- Ka 7: 35.163 – 35.379 GHz
- Ka 8: 35.379 – 35.613 GHz (Decatur & Kustom Signals 35.5 radar guns)
- Ka 9: 35.613 – 35.701 GHz
Note 1: If you’re wondering where segment Ka 10 is, it’s gone from the R8. To give the R8 the ability to scan down lower on K band, they’ve removed its ability to scan higher up on Ka band. Ka band above 35.600 is virtually non-existent so in general this is a good trade-off. This feature first came on the Net Radar DSP and you can read more about this discussion here.
Note 2: Read this post on RDF to learn which Ka segments to enable in your area.
Ka / MRCD Signal Priority
When detecting multiple signals, how should the R8 prioritize which signal is treated as the primary signal? The primary’s signal will take up most of the display and the audio rampup beeps will be for the primary signal.
- Ka / MRCD Priority: (Default) Alert priority is based on radar band. If you’re seeing multiple signals, alert priority will be given to Laser, Ka, MRCD, K, & X in that order.
- MRCD / Ka Priority: Alert priority is based on radar band. If you’re seeing multiple signals, alert priority will be given to Laser, MRCD, Ka, K, & X in that order.
- Signal Priority: Alert priority is given to the strongest (and likely closest) signal, no matter what frequency or band it’s on. MRCD is always prioritized in this mode, independent of strength.
Note: If you have MRCD turned off, it will only display Ka Priority and Signal Priority.
I prefer Ka / MRCD Priority since legit K band is rare and MRCD is non-existent around here. This way a detector alerts me to a weak Ka band at a distance if I’m next to a speed sign. If you have a lot of K band in use, Signal Priority may be preferred to alert you to stronger / closer K band sources. Legit MRCD is always super close range so if you have that in your area, choose an option that prioritizes MRCD.
Mute Memory Bands
By default, GPS lockouts only apply to X and K band. This makes sense since stationary false alerts coming from automatic door openers and speed signs typically transmit on these two bands. However, if you have fixed false alerts on Ka band (occasionally happens from certain speed signs or even some satellite dishes on homes that transmit on Ka), you can enable GPS lockouts for Ka band as well.
- X & K (Default)
- X, K, Ka
Note: Please be aware that locking out Ka band signals can be risky because Ka alerts are almost always legitimate. However, if you are 100% sure that a Ka band source that you keep passing is a false alert, you can enable lockouts for Ka band.
Bonus: If you enable Ka lockouts, you’ll also gain the ability to lock out MRCD/T alerts.
Auto Mute Mem
These are your automatic GPS lockouts. After you pass a stationary false alert multiple times over several days, the detector will automatically learn these false alerts and mute them for you in the future, automatically adding the signals to your mute memory.
- On (Default)
- Off
Auto Mem
By default your autolockouts will only apply to X & K band. This option allows you to enable autolockouts for Ka band (and MRCD at the same time) if you like.
- X & K (Default)
- X K Ka
All Threat Display
Display up to 3 additional signals on the left hand side of the screen, replacing your speed/direction when more than 1 alert is present.
- On
- Off (Default)
Color
Choose the primary color of your display. This is helpful if you’d like to match the detector’s display color to match your vehicle’s interior lights. It’s also fun to change on the holidays to make your detector’s display more festive, ie. running red or green during Christmas or amber/orange during Halloween. 🙂
- Red (Default)
- White
- Violet
- Blue
- Amber
- Green
- Pink
- Grey
Arrow Color
Choose unique colors for the arrows, depending on the radar band. By default the arrows are always red, similar to a V1, but you can make them different colors depending on if the primary signal is X, K, MRCD, or Ka Band.
- Red (Default)
- Blue
- Green
- Orange
- Yellow
- White
- Violet
Band Color
Choose the color for when the R8 displays the radar band (X, K, MRCD, or Ka band) on screen.
- Signal: (Default) The color of the radar band changes as the signal gets stronger, from weak green signals, to medium yellow signals, or to strong red signals.
- Arrow: The arrow color matches the radar band.
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Orange
- Yellow
- White
- Violet
Display
Choose what information is displayed on screen when no signal is present.
- Time
- Scan: Knight rider style animated scanning bar
- Mode: (Default) Highway, City, Auto, or Advanced mode
Scan Icon
Enable or disable the blinking heart icon on the main screen.
- Off (Default)
- On
Display (in Left Box)
Choose what information is displayed in the left box.
- Speed (Default)
- Speed + Compass
- Compass
- Voltage
- Altitude
Note: This information is temporarily overwritten when you have the All Threat Display option enabled and you’re detecting multiple signals.
Alert Display
Choose the signal strength meter style on the display.
- Alert Display #1: (Default) Signal strength bar is a straight line series of dots under the band and frequency.
- Alert Display #2: Signal strength is an arc-shaped series of dots on top of the band and frequency.
- Alert Display #3: Split screen option that shows signal info for the two primary signals.
Speed Unit
Choose if distances and speeds are displayed in imperial or metric units.
- mph (Default)
- km/h
X / K / MRCD/T / Ka Band Tone
If you don’t like the default alert tones for the different radar bands, you can choose between 12 different alert tones.
K Bogey Tone
Choose which unique alert tone the R8 plays when it detects a new additional K signal while alerting to the first K signal.
K Bogey Level
Choose the volume level of the K Bogey tone, separate from the main volume.
Note: This setting only appears when K Bogey Tone is enabled.
Ka Bogey Tone
Choose which unique alert tone the R8 plays when it detects a new additional Ka signal while alerting to the first Ka signal.
Laser Tone
Choose between one of 12 different alert tones for laser alerts.
Auto Mute
Automatically reduce the volume of an alert after 3 seconds, once it has your attention.
- On (Default)
- Off
Auto Mute Volume
If the Auto Mute option is enabled, choose how loud or quiet the detector alerts once it drops down to the auto muted volume level.
- 0-8 (Default = 2)
Note: If your normal audio volume and auto mute volume are the same, it will “drop” to the same level and seem like the auto mute feature isn’t working. Be sure your auto mute volume level is set lower than your normal alert volume.
Rear K Mute
Mute any and all K band signals back behind you. Side and front K band signals will alert normally. This can be helpful since signals behind are generally less of a threat than signals up ahead so it can be a way to add extra filtering to help quiet down your R8.
- Off (Default)
- On
Dark Mode Brightness
When running the display in dark mode, the display will be off (with a blinking dot that slowly moves along the bottom of the screen to let you know the detector is on). When the R8 picks up a signal, the R8 will light up and display all the normal information (as opposed to the “Off” display setting which keeps the display off no matter what.) This “Dark Mode Brightness” option lets you choose how bright the detector lights up when you pick up a signal.
- Bright
- Dim
- Dimmer (Default)
Auto Dim Setting
When you have the display brightness set to Auto, you’ll have the option in the menu to choose how bright or how dark the display is in the daytime or at night.
- Bright Level
- Bright
- Dim
- Dimmer
- Dim level
- Bright
- Dim
- Dimmer
- Dark
- Off
Note: If you don’t see these options in the menu, make sure your display brightness is set to “Auto.”
Backlight
Enable the white backlight behind the two front facing buttons, this way you can more easily see them at night.
- On (Default)
- Off
Quiet Ride
Low speed muting for X and K band alerts. This is super helpful around town to keep the detector calm and quiet.
- 5 – 90 mph in 5 mph increments or 10 – 140 km/h in 10 km/h increments
- Off (Default)
Q-Ride MRCD
Choose whether or not MRCD alerts are affected by quiet ride. MRCD photo radar is often run on city roads so you may want the immediate alert for MRCD even if the detector is muting normal radar.
- Off (Default)
- On
Q-Ride Beep Vol
Adjusts the volume of the initial alert before the detector is muted with quiet ride.
1 is the quietest, 8 is the loudest. 0 will totally silence the detector altogether for any signals muted by quiet ride.
- 0-8
Limit Speed
Get an alert when you’re traveling above a preset speed. This can be a helpful reminder to let you know when you’re traveling too fast.
- Off (Default)
- 50 – 100 mph in 5 mph increments or 80 – 160 km/h in 10 km/h increments
GMT
Select what time zone you are in.
- GMT-05:00: Eastern Standard
- GMT-06:00: Central Standard
- GMT-07:00: Mountain Standard
- GMT-08:00: Pacific Standard (Default)
- GMT-09:00: Yukon Standard
- GMT-10:00: Alaska-Hawaii Standard
DST
Adjust the time for daylight savings time. If you set the time zone, but your clock is off by 1 hour, change this.
- On
- Off (Default)
BAT Warning
Alerts you when your battery voltage drops to a low level, below 11v.
- On
- Off (Default)
In certain vehicles that have a start/stop system that shuts off the engine at red lights, this warning may go off whenever that system kicks in and so you’ll want to disable it.
BAT Saver
If your R8 is plugged into a power source that is always on, turn this feature on. This way when you’re parked (stationary) or you’re in a parking garage (so you lose GPS), the detector will shut itself off after 1 hour so you don’t kill your car battery.
- On
- Off (Default)
Self Test
Plays a sample of the different radar and laser alerts on startup. It doesn’t actually do an internal self-check and it’s more of an audible and visual demo of the different alerts. I prefer turning this off for a quieter and faster startup.
- On (Default)
- Off
Factory Reset?
Reset all your settings back to factory default. There’s no options here. Pressing the menu button resets your detector.
Note: All of your GPS lockouts and GPS user marks will remain in place if you reset your detector’s default settings. Clearing your lockouts and marked locations are in the next menu options.
Delete All Mute?
Delete all of your manual GPS lockouts.
There’s no options here. Pressing the menu button clears all of your lockouts.
Delete All Auto?
Deletes all of your automatic GPS lockouts.
There’s no options here. Pressing the menu button clears all of your lockouts.
Delete All User?
Delete all of your manually marked GPS locations.
There’s no options here. Pressing the menu button clears all of your user marks.
Note: A shortcut to this option can be found by pressing and holding the Mark button on the front of your detector. This is handy in case you don’t use this feature in the first place and you create a user mark by accident. You can clear your marks this way without waiting until you come back to this location, your detector goes off, and you press the Mark button on the front of your detector to delete that location.
Memory Quota
The R8 supports 2,000 memory locations, split between GPS lockouts and manual GPS user marks. By default the R8 is set up to give you 1,000 of each. Personally I use GPS lockouts all the time and rarely/never use the GPS marks, so I’d rather allocate the available space to GPS lockouts.
In the memory quota section, you can change how many of the 2,000 user points are being used for lockouts or for user marks. You can select up to 1,750 of one which gives 250 remaining for the other, adjustable in increments of 50.
In this image, the detector is set to give us 1,750 manual GPS lockouts and 250 GPS user marks. You can also see the number in parenthesis telling you how many GPS lockouts (200) and how many User Marks (100) you’ve created so far.
Note: This applies to Manual GPS lockouts only. Auto lockouts have way more memory allocated separately and isn’t something you adjust.
You can change how many manual lockout and user mark locations are available with the – and + buttons on top of the R8 and this change will be shown in white text. The bottom text in red stays put as your current/previous settings. Press the Menu button up top twice to change to your new settings.
Bluetooth
Enable the Bluetooth functionality with your R8.
- On
- Off (Default)
Android App: Highway Radar
iOS Apps: V1Driver & R8 Companion
BT Pairing
Initiate the pairing process between your R8 and your phone.
Read this tutorial for instructions on how to pair your R8 to your phone.
Version
Check which firmware version you’re running.
DB Ver
Displays the date of the redlight cam / speed camera database that you’re running.
Exit
Exit the menu. You can also exit the menu by long pressing the menu button or waiting for the detector to automatically time out.
General Recommended Uniden R8 Settings
Realistically speaking, there are no one set of settings that are appropriate for every person in every area. If there was, there would be no need to have adjustable settings in the first place. 🙂 Nevertheless, here’s a set of generic recommended settings that you can use as a starting point, think about what is appropriate for you, and then adjust as you see fit. As you drive, you’ll naturally get a better sense of how you can further tweak these settings.
- Menu: Expert
- Auto
- Auto City: 40 mph
- Rear Bal: 70%
- GPS: On
- Speed Camera: On
- Speed C Range: 1000ft
- Redlight Cam: On
- RLC Q-Ride: 60 mph
- POI Passchime: Off
- Voice: On
- Ka Freq Voice: On
- X Band: Off (On in OH & NJ)
- K Band: On
- Ka Band: On
- Laser: On
- Laser Gun ID: On
- Laser TP: On
- Pulse Mode
- Laser TP Setting
- TP1: Front / Rx
- TP2: Front / Tx
- TP3: Front / Rx
- TP4: Rear / Rx
- TP5: Rear / Tx
- TP6: Rear / Rx
- K POP: Off
- MRCD/T: Off (On in Alberta, Quebec, Chicago, NYC, & MD) (On for CX-5 BSM Filtering)
- Gatso RT3/4: Off
- Ka POP: Off
- K Filter: On
- Ka Filter: Off
- TSF: On
- K Block 1: Weak
- K Block 2: Weak
- K Narrow
- Ka Segmentation: 2/4/5/6/8 (Read what you need for your state.)
- Ka/MRCD Priority (Ka Priority if MRCD off)
- Mute Mem: X & K (Enable X/K/Ka for Ka or MRCD lockouts)
- Auto Mute Mem: On
- Auto Mem: X & K
- All Threat: On
- Color: Red
- Arrow Color
- X Band: Red
- K Band: Yellow
- MRCD/T: Red
- Gatso: Red
- Ka Band: Blue
- Band Color
- X Band: Signal
- K Band: Signal
- MRCD/T: Signal
- Gatso: Signal
- Ka Band: Signal
- Time Display
- Scan Icon: Off
- Display: Speed
- Alert Display: #1
- Speed Unit: mph
- X Band Tone: 1
- K Band Tone: 2
- K Bogey Tone: Off
- MRCD/T Tone: 7
- Ka Band Tone: 3
- Ka Bogey Tone: 1
- Laser Tone: 4
- Auto Mute: On
- Auto Mute Vol: 2
- Rear K Mute: Off
- Dark Mode: Dim
- Auto Dim Setting
- Mode: Sensor
- Bright level: Bright
- Dim level: Dim
- Backlight: On
- Quiet Ride: 35 mph
- Q-Ride MRCD/T: On
- Q-Ride Beep Vol: 1
- LimitSpeed: Off
- GMT: Set for your time zone
- DST: On / Off as appropriate
- BAT Warning: Off
- Bat Saver: On
- Self Test: Off
- Memory Quota
- Mute Mem: 1,750
- User Mark: 250
- Bluetooth: On
Download my General Recommended Settings here.
You can load these into your R8 by plugging your detector into your computer, running Uniden’s update software, clicking “User Setting,” and then clicking the “Open from file” button at the bottom, selecting this file, then clicking “Store to unit” at the bottom.
Vortex’s Uniden R8 Settings
Finally, here’s a look at the settings I use myself. I see almost all Ka band out here and K band is very rare, so I like to be pretty aggressive on the K band filtering. X band I disable. MRCD I don’t see in this area, but I occasionally turn it on to help with filtering Mazda CX-5 BSM’s. Then I turn on some additional MRCD filters to address the MRCD false alerts. These settings may or may not be appropriate for you and your driving area and personal preferences, but here’s a look at how I currently run my R8.
- Menu: Expert
- Auto
- Auto City: 40 mph
- Rear Bal: 70%
- GPS: On
- Speed Camera: On
- Speed C Range: 1000ft
- Redlight Cam: On
- RLC Q-Ride: 60 mph
- POI Passchime: Off
- Voice: Off
- Ka Freq Voice: On
- X Band: Off
- K Band: On
- Ka Band: On
- Laser: On
- Laser Gun ID: On
- Laser TP: On
- Pulse Mode
- Laser TP Setting
- TP1: Front / Rx
- TP2: Front / Tx
- TP3: Front / Rx
- TP4: Rear / Rx
- TP5: Rear / Tx
- TP6: Rear / Rx
- K POP: Off
- MRCD/T: Off
- Gatso RT3/4: Off
- Ka POP: Off
- K Filter: On
- Ka Filter: Off
- TSF: On
- K Block 1: Weak
- K Block 2: Weak
- K Narrow
- Ka Segmentation: 2/4/5/6/7/8
- Ka Priority
- Mute Mem: X K Ka
- Auto Mute Mem: On
- Auto Mem: X K
- All Threat: On
- Color: Red
- Arrow Color
- X Band: Red
- K Band: Yellow
- MRCD/T: Red
- Gatso: Red
- Ka Band: Blue
- Band Color
- X Band: Signal
- K Band: Signal
- MRCD/T: Signal
- Gatso: Signal
- Ka Band: Signal
- Time Display
- Scan Icon: Off
- Display: Spd+Comp
- Alert Display: #1
- Speed Unit: mph
- X Band Tone: 1
- K Band Tone: 2
- K Bogey Tone: Off
- MRCD/T Tone: 7
- Ka Band Tone: 3
- Ka Bogey Tone: 1
- Laser Tone: 4
- Auto Mute: On
- Auto Mute Vol: 2
- Rear K Mute: On
- Dark Mode: Dim
- Auto Dim Setting
- Mode: Sensor
- Bright level: Bright
- Dim level: Dim
- Backlight: On
- Quiet Ride: 40 mph
- Q-Ride MRCD/T: On
- Q-Ride Beep Vol: 0
- LimitSpeed: Off
- GMT: -8 Hour
- DST: Off
- BAT Warning: Off
- Bat Saver: Off
- Self Test: Off
- Memory Quota
- Mute Mem: 1,750
- User Mark: 250
- Bluetooth: On
Download my Personal R8 Settings here.
You can load these into your R8 by plugging your detector into your computer, running Uniden’s update software, clicking “User Setting,” and then clicking the “Open from file” button at the bottom, selecting this file, then clicking “Store to unit” at the bottom.
Canadian Uniden R8 Settings
As a bonus, if you drive in Canada, especially in B.C., check out @DC Fluid’s personal R8 settings and discussion which should also be very helpful.
That’s it for now! Please let me know if you have any questions.
If you still need to pick up an R8, you can buy your R8 here.
Thank you for reading. 🙂
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. |
40 comments
Skip to comment form
Time to buy – Can you give me a simple solution…
Would like to buy the redline Escort 360 but I am tired of waiting. That leaves this, Uniden R8, and the V1G2 (for which I have a 20+ year old V1G1 I can trade up for). Which do you recommend I buy if I’m just looking for basic highway (directional) alerts? Thx. James
Author
If you just want basic highway directional alerts, the V1 Gen2 would be fine, plus it’s cheaper. The R8 has a bunch of extra features, but it sounds like you may not need them. Valentine has stopped doing trade-ins for now so you’ll need to buy the V1 direct from their site and sell your old V1 elsewhere.
Perfect! V1G2 IT IS!!
How does the R8 compare to the R4? Is it mainly directional arrows? I’ve been using an R3 for years with no complaints, but want to upgrade for a new vehicle. Thanks for all of your in-depth reviews! The R3 was purchased because of your great reviews. Keep up the good work!
Hi Vortex, Great thanks for this posting. Much helpful..
I have V1G2, living in South Korea. I would say Uniden R8 is much better in Korea.
As you might know Speed detection by Radar (K, Ka) increasing in my country.
Many years used old “Loop” speed detection was used but seems like changing to Radar type. To provent road damage in over years.
On Highway detected by Ka radar+Camara increasing. And local road can see many photo radar systems. (K radar)
Seems like UNIDEN R8 missing detect photo radars (maybe different freq.?) but GPS feature make R8 quite useful. I add GPS Spot myself for next time warning though~.
In Korea also commonly used Laser speed gun. But also many faked ones (empty box) to warn driver reduce speed.
Not sure MRCD/T, Gatso are used.. in Korea. but I just turned on these sensor to verify..
Hmm somewhat many times detected by RT3/4. Not sure this is 100 % real photo radar.. but sometimes I could see photo radar when crossing road..
BTW, Uniden is made in Korea?? Very interesting. Actually cannot buy in Korea, but made in Korea on Case..
Thanks for your reading this comment.
Today I Turned off TSF. more sense for RT3/4 more.
Seems like more Real Photo radars detected on roads. I could see cameras on road actually.
Sure some false also more but..
In Korea working properly , much better than V1 G2.
But Laser detect sensitivity for V1 G2 is outperformed against R8.
Passed road, sensed by V1 G2, Laser but R8 no sensed at all.
One question : Power plug for V1 G2 , is it compatible with R8? shape look the same but..
Author
Yeah no issues. I use my V1 hardwire with my R8 without issue.
Hi Vortex, Great information for laser at Youtube. I Have V1 G2, will use only for laser detection. In case this specific purpose location of detector might helpful located down of front window? Understand rear laser is not realistic in my country. Normally laser speed gun aim for number plate. So could get scattering beams like, Maybe not aim for window on purpose
And will use Uniden R8 for all radar / laser , in this case high position of front window , is it better? For laser will just rely on V1 G2 mainly.
I love to use R8 to detect many photo radar (RT3,4) in Korea. with GPS Location capability.
Thanks for your confirmation. Did works fine
Hey, Vortex – Greetings from Rivian owner in Monroe, WA. R8 on order, but keep trying to find that hardwire remote keypad. Can’t find it anywhere, presumably because it hasn’t been released yet? I thought you had mentioned that it came out (or was available) for the R4, but I can’t find any sign of it anywhere, including on Uniden’s web site. Any deets on that thing? Also, gave up on Escort Redline 360c – more than 1 year and a half of waiting, and I don’t relish the idea of dealing with their galactically awful customer support anyway. Finally, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to list your personal configurations for these detectors. Really helps jump-start the experience and that’s a fantastic value-add! Oh, congrats on your new kid, by the way!
Hi Vortex, How do I keep my R8 entire screen from flashing at times when it gets a signal?
Author
Usually it does that when low speed muting is activated. Does it do that at speed too?
Yes, I think so. Is there a setting I could turn off? Thanks
Author
The blinking is there to let you know that a signal is present, but being muted. There isn’t a way to adjust the blinking. You can always lower the quiet ride threshold, but then you’ll get audio beeps instead of a blinking display.
OK thank you very much. I’ll just turn quiet ride off all together then. I’d rather mute it then have it blink
Screen failed in less than 24 hrs after deliver. Garbage
Author
Sorry to hear yours failed too. Could you post your serial number up here?
K.C., could you share your serial number? Where did you buy your unit from?
Great Uniden R8 review on Youtube, Ariel!! You are a talented teacher. The thing that bothers me most from your Youtube review is the R8’s so-so stealth/RDD performance. Are you aware if Uniden is addressing this issue? Thanks for all your time in making your reviews, and on addressing my question. – John E.
Author
That’s been a long standing pattern with Uniden’s detectors and I haven’t ever seen them do anything to address it.
Thanks for responding so quickly!
I have used the Valentine one for several years now but just bought a new Uniden 4. Would it be reasonable to run both at the same time? I’m having a little buyer’s remorse, wondering if I should have gotten the Valentine 2 instead of the Uniden 4.
Author
Only one at a time to avoid interference between detectors.
If you attach the USB to the R8 and to your computer and open up the Uniden R Series update software – does the software show a status of “connected” for anyone?
I know there are no R8 updates as of yet, but my RD doesn’t show as connected, and not sure if this is normal, or the usb on my R8 is defective. I did install the USB Drives off the Uniden site, and my computer makes the USB connected sound when I plug it in, but the Uniden software still doesn’t see the R8.
I travel from Oklahoma to Ohio PA Mi and WV I just purchased the R8 would your settings that you listed be a good fit for me?
This is only the second radar detector I’ve owned. The first one was bought back in 2005, so you can imagine the difference. I’m far from tech savvy, and wondering if I bought into something whose many functions I may never understand. I think I need a general radar manual for dummies. If you have any tips for this newbie, I’d appreciate it. Btw, I live in Montana and I use my radar detector mainly for highway travel. We have long stretches of highway with little traffic so I tend to drive my Audi A7 at the speeds it’s designed for. Montana actually had no speed limit for a few years. However, that was when I was a mother who never drove fast with my kids in the car. I just don’t want to get a speeding ticket for those stretches of highway where I could get nailed for driving 15 or 20mph over the speed limit. FYI, I only drive fast during daylight hours, on perfectly dry roads, with a good car, good tires, little or no traffic and fully rested and perfectly sober. And I never text or talk, even on speaker phone.
Do you have a recommended settings list for Arizona?
Start w/ Vortex’s configuration (download) then enable the following: MRCD/T ( if in Phoenix ), and filter for Ka segments 2,,5,6,7,8. The rest, i.e. color, sounds, etc. are just personal preference. I live in the Valley and these work for me.
Thank you! Very much appreciated. Now just need to find a place who does hardwired for Tesla Model Ys!! 🙂
Hey quick question, I see you may have a Model Y, what year is yours? Do you get laser alerts from the car using the R8 or any other detector? Thanks!
Author
I drive an Audi Q5, sorry, not a Model Y. You can ask on the forums to find others who drive Teslas.
Not sure if this happens to anyone else…but I seem to get the DOWN arrow almost all the time when the radar is coming from the front of the car. Any solutions?
Just upgraded from an R3 to an R8 for the arrows.
Firmware is now 127 106 116. I loaded most of your recommended settings and thank you for your dedication. Will you be updating the list anytime soon? I drive 4-7 hours daily in the southeastern most 7 states
I drive mostly Florida and Georgia using my R8 with the New UPDATE 127. using Vortex’s settings, I also have a Bel STI, its probably over 20 yrs old, cant undate it and it squalks at everything. Next to my R8 which is ever so quiet and does a great job.. Anyone out there have any good setting for in Florida, I’d appreciate it,
Hello Vortex,
I really appreciate your videos! Recently purchased a Porsche Cayenne S. I flew from Nevada to LA and drove home. I looked at the speedometer and I was doing more than 20 over the limit at times..the vehicle accelerates without fanfare, I need a radar detector..After reading your posts and blogs on Facebook the R8 was the solution. Thanks so much for the information, it is much appreciated. Very happy with the purchase.
Vortex,
Just upgraded from the R3 to the R8. It came with DB version 23/07/12 and Firmware version 127.106.116. Incidentally, these aren’t showing up yet on Uniden’s update page. I’d like to know if the Laser Transponder should be enabled as recommended even if I’m not using a jammer. Does this setting affect performance otherwise?
Author
Are you not seeing 1.27 on their site here? I don’t think enabling the laser transponder features without a jammer connected really does anything at all, but you might as well leave it off just because.
Dear Vortex,
Just got my R8 recently based on all of your reviews and have been playing with it but with so many settings to dial in, it been a bit nerve wreaking. I want to make sure it works perfectly here in southern California.
This post of your has been the best guide so thank you for such a great breakdown. I followed through each of the description of the menu options and belive I have configured my R8 to hopefully the proper setting for my region.
But to make sure I got everything right and since you use a R8 yourself, can you configure a R8 with the optimal settings for southern california region and post the setting file so that I can upload and compare it with mine?
Thank you eitherway!
Author
Glad the tutorial is helpful! For any location specific info, I usually recommend you hop on the forums and ask others who drive in your area. If you’d like personalized assistance above and beyond tutorials like this, you can always book a private session with me, linked at the top of the site.
Thanks for your great YouTube Videos and Website. With a full-time job, wife and two kiddos, it’s very impressive how much excellent content you crank out.