Uniden LRD767 Radar Detector

I should have taken the high road. In life, there is the easy way, and there is the right way. There is the moral high road, and there is the less than moral easy path. Experience has recently been teaching me a hard lesson. If I stray from the high road, I will pay the price.

A few years back, I was busy raising two kids on my own, going to college, and trying to get my life in order. My finances, and my house were a mess. Instead of taking the high road and setting up a budget and organizing my time, I tried an easier path. When money was tight, I took out a loan. When the house needed attention, I silently wished it would burn to the ground so I wouldn?t have to deal with it anymore. Well, now I am deeply in debt and my house did burn down three years ago.

Time and time again, life has tried to teach me not to take shortcuts and not to try to get around doing things the right way. Time and time again, I haven?t listened. My Uniden LRD 767 is a prime example of this.

I have a long commute. Every day, I drive 60 miles each way to work and back. Let?s just say that it is not the most enjoyable portion of my day. Therefore, I have taken to speeding. I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I have the proverbial lead foot. So much so, that I have been stopped 5 times in the last 3 years.

A few months ago, I decided that I really couldn?t afford to get another ticket. Although most of the ticketing officers had been kind and had given me a lesser ticket with no points attached, two had not. If I got any more points, I might end up walking to work.

I should have taken the high road. I should have simply stopped speeding, or at least slowed down to a little less than warp speed. Instead, I ordered a radar detector.

It?s not bad enough that I ordered a radar detector. I ordered one from an over-priced catalog that allows shoppers to buy now and pay later. The radar detector had to come from my mad money, and all of my mad money had just been spent paying off another ticket. So, let?s just say that I paid way more than I should have for my Uniden.

When it arrived in the mail (I even paid for express shipping) I was thrilled. So was my nine-year-old son. He thought it looked like a phaser from Star Trek. It is definitely an impressive looking gadget.

The Uniden LRD 767 is about the size of a deck of cards. It has a panel for the visual display, and detectors on the front and top to give 360 degree coverage. I can attest to one thing. It definitely detects radar signals coming from the rear.

Installation was a breeze. I simply attached the enclosed Velcro stickers to the detector and my dashboard and plugged the power cord into my cigarette lighter.

Once I got my detector installed, I sat down to read the enclosed instruction book. I should have boxed up the device and sent it back right then. Let?s just say, the book was less than encouraging.

The first couple of pages in the instruction book explain a little bit about how radar works. It describes the theory of radar and lasers as used for speed detection. Two types of speed detection jumped out at me. Instant on radar systems only broadcast a signal when aimed at the speeding target. Lasers can, according to Uniden, detect a target?s speed in 0.3 seconds. I don?t know about you, but I don?t think I can get my car slowed from 80 mph to 55 mph in 0.3 seconds.

However, I am an optimist. The book went on to describe the effective range of the various speed detection systems, and then described the range of the detector. Apparently, the Uniden LRD 767 can detect lasers from distances that are 10 times the average operating range of the laser.

Therefore, instead of boxing my new little toy up and sending it right back from whence it came, I decided to keep it. The first time I turned it on, it happily chirped its way through a startup test. The display showed me that my car was pointed due West, and that the detector was in highway mode.

In highway mode, the detector has a longer range, but has a tendency to pick up false alarms. Motion detectors, automatic doors, and burglar alarms can all set off the Uniden LRD 767. Consequently, there is also a city mode, which filters out many of these annoying false alarms. Many, but not all. In highway mode, the LRD 767 can detect a shopping center half a block away. My husband thinks it?s a shame that it can?t detect yard sales as well. It would save me from slamming on the brakes every time I pass one.

The built in compass would be nice, except for one problem. The display panel is too dim to read during the daytime. Unless it?s an extremely cloudy day, I can?t read anything on the visual display even if I detach the device from its Velcro and hold it up right in front of my face. If Uniden is going to improve anything on this radar detector, the display should be it.

I drove for over a month with my radar happily chirping away at every automatic door and burglar alarm within range, but never encountered any police using radar during my commute. Because I wanted to review my Uniden for epinions, I was rather upset. I either needed the Uniden to save me from a ticket, or fail in order to write a valid review. Nothing less would do.

About a month ago, I was chatting with a fellow Epinions member about my dilemma. I told her how badly I wanted to write the review, and how the opportunity had not yet presented itself. Then I shut down ICQ, and left work for the day.

I was tired and grumpy, and decided to take the turnpike home instead of my usual route. Traffic runs much faster on the turnpike, and there are rarely any police hiding behind the bushes. I was ready for warp speed. My trusty Uniden was on and ready to go.

I should have taken the high road. About 15 minutes into my trip, I noticed a maroon car parked on the side of the road. My Uniden hadn?t chirped once since I left work, and I was making good time. Immediately after I passed the car, my Uniden didn?t chirp. It screamed. I won?t repeat what I said as I quickly braked my car and prayed that the radar gun still hadn?t yet reported my speed.

In my rearview mirror, I saw the dancing lights of the approaching police car. As I pulled off the road, the Uniden was still screeching. I?ll never know what type of radar or laser the officer was using, because the display panel was too dim to read. I don?t know if I was nailed by instant-on radar or a laser. All I know is that the detector definitely knew that a speed detection device was being used. The only problem was that it figured it out too late to do me any good.

I can?t blast Uniden for failing me. I can?t say the device was a total waste. If it even saves me from one ticket, it has paid for itself. I will say this much. I am no longer confident that I can zoom down the highway at any speed I like. The Uniden doesn?t offer that kind of protection.

Did I learn my lesson from this experience? Have I stopped speeding? Well, not exactly. Instead, I am looking for a new job closer to home. The high road is just too darn slow.