Uniden R3 Review – UPDATED 2018 – Best Radar Detectors
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A radar detector can save you from the hefty fines and points on the license. With so many options for radar detectors out there, it can be difficult to choose the right one for your car.
We have tried to simplify this by reviewing one of the best radar detectors – Uniden R3. It is a highly effective radar detector loaded with an array of features that make it a great car companion, whether driving around the town or on long road trips.
The long-range radar offers fast reactivity, high sensitivity and advanced filtering, making it one of the leading choices for car radars.
Radar detectors are legal devices which a driver can keep in his car. These detectors tell you whether a policeman or other officer is monitoring your speed ahead.
They are electronic devices designed to notify you when somebody is monitoring your car speed so that you can slow down before getting into a speed trap and getting a ticket or license points.
Radar detectors use superheterodyne receiver to detect the electromagnetic emissions of speed gun. The car detector hones in on the signal coming from the speed trap and alerts the driver using an auditory or visual signal.
Uniden R3 Specifications:
- OLED screen
- Digitalized signal processor
- Auto-mute function
- Two windshield mounts
- Camera alerts for red lights
- Filters for K false and KA false
- 12 V power cable connected to USB data port
- Built-in mark location option
- Instruction manual and carry case included
Uniden R3 Design and Construction
Uniden R3 radar detector is well-constructed. Outer casing has tight seams and is convenient to hold. It features large menu buttons with good spacing and a high tactile feel. Packaging is superb too. It 
comes with a sturdy case that holds everything included with the detector.
It offers two different mounts in the packaging. A conventional dual suction-cup mounting bracket is quite functional and a single sticky-cup mounting bracket with ball-type head allows various mounting angles and positions.
Uniden R3 also has a nice coiled cigarette lighter power adapter terminated with an RJ-11 jack and comes with a push-button to mute the alerts and locations. An integrated USB port powers up your smartphone. The detector weight and size are perfect.
Performance and Behavior
The R3 radar detector features a number of helpful display brightness settings including BRIGHT, DIM, DIMMER, DARK, OFF. While the DARK mode is ideal for stealth living keeping the screen off with a little flashing dot until there is a detection when the screen turns on again to display everything you would like to know, the OFF mode turns the screen off and remains off during detection’s while providing the audio alerts.
Uniden R3 provides a wealth of useful information on the display with the current speed and direction, the current day time, the detector’s sensitivity setting, frequency of primary detection, the police radar band and up to three extra detected police radar bands with their signal strengths.
It also keeps you updated on the battery voltage or current altitude. The front buttons MARK and MUTE/DIM can be backlit to identify the information easily in the evening and can even be disabled in stealth less attention garnering appearance.
Uniden R3 offers exceptional quality voice and alert volumes. They can be set to be very loud and they still remain clear with alerts easily recognizable without any distortion. It features a quite natural voice augmentation.
You can choose from three sensitivity settings – CITY, CITY2 and HIGHWAY. R3 does an exceptional job at alerting to radar detection’s. You are presented with the main detected radar band, the frequency, signal strength represented by five bars in different colors for levels and relative proximity. High dynamic range gives you a good sense of your closeness to the radar source to help you decide how to react.
How to Use The Uniden R3
Uniden R3 is quite easy to configure and use. Pressing the MENU button on the top of the detector lets you enter the configuration menu. Depressing the left or right volume buttons steps each option. To 
change or toggle a feature, you can press the MENU button quickly. You can press and hold the MENU button to exit the programming.
You can easily change the settings for the desired performance, filter out more false alerts or change the display color to match your interior. Highway/City/City2 option lets you adjust the K and X band sensitivity to minimize false alerts.
GPS option turns on the GPS-related features of the detector. Redlight Cam and Speed Camera are additional features. Quiet Ride is an amazing feature of R3 which allows low-speed muting.
It mutes the X and K band alerts when you are traveling below the speed you specify. The feature helps a lot in dealing with false alerts when around the town.
Difference Between Uniden R1 & R3
Basically, Uniden R1 and R3 are the same radar detectors with similar performance and filtering abilities. R3 is essentially R1 with an included GPS chip adding some value and functionality like:
- Low-speed muting that keeps the detector quiet around town
- GPS lockouts to get the detector learn and filter false alerts from automatic door openers and speed signs
- Speed camera/redlight camera alerts
These features contribute to making Uniden R3 a better and more all-rounded detector suitable for driving in urban areas.
- R3 uses the GPS to shut down the detector automatically if you park for some time.
- R1 displays the voltage continuously while R3 allows changing the display to compass, altitude or speed.
- R3 features automatic dimming of display at night due to GPS.
- R1 has a CITY button to switch between City and Highway modes while this can be done on R3 by long pressing the MENU button.
- R3 has a MARK button up front allowing you to mark a GPS location to be alerted to it when you travel to the location next time.
Uniden R1 is an excellent radar detector to use on the highway but R3’s improved functionality and GPS power make it ideal for both city and highway driving. These detectors provide such high filtering and sensitivity making them the best detectors to add to your car regardless of price.
