Uniden DFR9 Vs Uniden R1
| Uniden DFR9 | Uniden R1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver Type: | Double Conversion Superheterodyne Self-Contained Antenna | Same |
| Antenna Type: | Linear Polarized E-vector Vertical | Same |
| X | 10.525 GHz | Same |
| K | 24.150 GHz | Same |
| Ka | 33.400 – 36.000 GHz | Same |
| Laser | 800 nm – 1100 nm | Same |
| GPS | Yes | No |
| MRCD Alerts | No | Yes |
| Operating Temp. | -20° to +85° C | Same |
| Dimensions | 126.00 mm (D) x 79.00 mm (W) x 36.00 mm (H) | 110.00 mm (D) x 69.00 mm (W) x 29.50 mm (H) |
| Weight | 6 oz (170g) | 4.8 oz (135 g) |
What Are The Differences between The Uniden DFR9 And Uniden R1?
The Uniden DFR9 and R1 are both great radar detectors for their price and have a number of cool features. I’ve listed out some key differences between these two detectors which will help you in making a purchase decision.
- The Uniden DFR9 has GPS whereas the R1 does not
- The Uniden R1 has MRCD alerts that are absent in the DFR9. Keep in mind that to detect MultaRadar, you would need an MRCD detector. As the DFR9 does not have MRCD alerts, an option you have, if MultaRadars are used in your area, is to use WAZE maps to see where people have marked police vehicles equipped with MultaRadar or there are even Facebook groups where people talk about MultaRadar locations. Check out VortexRadar’s video on MultaRadar to learn more.
- The R1 has a longer range and better BSM filtering than the DFR9 but still with the DFR9, people report that the device can detect radar even from 0.5 to 0.7 miles.
- The DFR9 has 4 user-defined sensitivity levels which can be set from 100% down to 40% in decrements of 20% while the R1 has 8 sensitivity levels which can be set from 100% to 30% in decrements of 10%. Also, keep in mind that lowering the sensitivity level will not affect the radar’s range but only the bandwidth at which it alerts you.
- As the DFR9 has a GPS chip it also features speed camera alerts and red light camera alerts and will alert you when you are approaching a speed/ red light camera. The DFR9 can detect speed cameras within 984 feet. The Uniden R1 does not have this feature as it doesn’t have a GPS chip.
- Another feature with the Uniden DFR9 as a result of its GPS chip is that you can mark areas (using the mark button) which are known to have radar transmissions or areas where police vehicles are known to hang around so that the next time you approach these areas it will let you know that there is a User Mark Ahead. You of course also have the option to delete a mark. The DFR9 can store up to 500 marks. The Uniden R1 does not have any of these features.
- When it comes to the display, the DFR9 allows you to display three different options in the center of the OLED screen. You can either display the scan cycle, the time or the mode (highway, city or advanced) while on the left side of the screen you can display either the speed (in km/h or mph), compass, voltage, altitude or speed+compass. With the R1, you can only display the voltage on the left side and the mode (highway, city or advanced) or scan cycle on the right side.
- With the DFR9, you can also mute common areas of false alerts by using the mute memory option. The device will then remember the place where you muted the audio via it’s GPS capability and will then automatically mute alerts for that particular frequency when you travel to that area again. However, if there is an alert for a different frequency it will sound the alert. The Uniden R1, of course, cannot do any of this.
- The DFR9 has a light sensor to automatically adjust the display brightness based on the ambient light whereas with the R1 it can only automatically adjust the display brightness based on the time as there is no light sensor.
- The R1 can detect both K Pop and Ka Pop transmissions while the DFR9 can only detect Ka POP transmissions.
- The DFR9 also has a quiet ride option which will mute alarms for K and X bands when you drive under the speed limit that you set here. It also has a limit speed option which will sound an alarm when your vehicle reaches a certain speed. As both these options require the use of GPS, they cannot be enabled in the Uniden R1.
- The R1 has a mini USB port while the DFR9 has a micro USB port.
- The DFR9 is slightly bigger in size and also weighs a bit more.
Apart from these differences both the R1 and DFR9 feature K Band and Ka-band filtering as well as setting band priority as well as threat level alerts that will display all signals with varying threat level indications on the screen when you are receiving multiple signals.
Which Should You Choose?
Between these two radar detectors, I would say the Uniden DFR9 is the better option due to its GPS capabilities that will be very useful not only in preventing false alerts but also in marking areas where police vehicles hang around and letting you know when there are speed /red light cameras ahead. The Uniden R1 does have a bit better range and can detect MultaRadar but unless MultaRadar is being used a lot in your area, I would say the DFR9 would be the better choice overall or if you can afford the Uniden R3, that would be a great choice as well as that comes with MRCD alerts as well as a GPS chip.