Re: Uniden failure!

[smarinel@neosoft.com (Steve Marinello@Newpark)]

>Guys,
>
>        Some of you may remember my radar detector escapades a couple
>months ago.  Just to quickly recap - I got a Uniden LRD6199SW last
>Christmas.  On a recent caravanning trip with two 5KCSTQs from Chicago to
>Flint, I had the Uniden in one car, and my old Bel 826 in the other car. 
>There were so many radar traps, that we were able to verify very
>definitely that the Uniden was doing NOTHING.  The Bel consistently gave
>me a mile or two warning.  
>        I returned the Uniden for repair, and after a 5 week wait, I got it
>back today "No Trouble Found"!!!!! 
>
>        I guess that just confirms that Uniden makes junk (and they don't
>serve the junk-buying customers very well either.) Initially, the store
>that sold it to me sounded like they weren't going to help me at all, but
>today they said they would exchange it for a Bel.  They have the 525 and
>the 560.  Which one would you guys recommend? 
>
>BTW, I think it was Car & Driver that recommended the Uniden as 
>virtually equal to the Bel in their last detector test last fall.  I 
>think I'll send an email to C&D about this failure of Uniden.
>
>Thanks very much.
>
>Later,                                                          
>Graydon D. Stuckey                                                            
> 
>graydon@apollo.gmi.edu                                                        
> 
>Flint, Michigan   USA
>'86 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro, GDS Racing Stage II                           
> 

Well, don't be so fast Graydon.  I have been extremely well satisfied with
my old Uniden RD-9, which was rated highly way back when and never failed
to perform as advertised.  Uniden could have slipped, but...I was thinking
of going back to them after my recent purchase of a Bel 745STiPlus, the #1
rated unit.  After about two hours on the road, it definitely gave up the
ghost!  NADA!  It will go through it's self test as if everything is okay
if you turn it off and on, but nothing is really working.  I teseted it
against the old RD-9.

I talked to Bel yesterday and they said to send it back for a replacement. 
BTW, bought it from Smile Photo, advertising in the back of C&D.  At this
point, not a high recommendation for service, but we shall see and I will
report to the group later.  

For the two hours that the Bel worked, it appeared to be all that it was
reported to be...we'll see with a replacement.  Actually, I may try to work
a deal for the new 945, which is the battery powered version of the 745.

Steve

Stephen A. Marinello, Ph.D.
Corporate Technical Services
Newpark Resources, Inc.
P.O. Box 6411 - Metairie, LA 70009
504/838-8222      FAX 504/833-9506