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13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 The only Driveway Alert that really works Sep 12, 2010
By Emory D. Keller
"VT Bubba"
Had mixed results at first, but very satisfied in the end (the MURS Alerts are the only Wireless Alerts that reliably work beyond 500ft !). I use them for both Wild Game detection and driveway notification.
My story ==> I bought 2 of the original "Reporter Alerts" about 5yrs ago, they worked fine for about 3yrs up to about 500ft. After 3yrs one of the PIR transmitters failed because of corroded batteries, so I bought 3 new reporter transmitters. By then Reporter had been sold to Chamberlain and the 3 new PIR Transmitters were ALL total junk (worked to about 50ft, if you were lucky... total trash...). So, I gave up on reporter/Chamberlain, although I still use the one old unit that just keeps on working.
Last year I purchased 2 Dakota WR3000 units with 2 extra PIR transmitters (4 total). Two transmitters worked to about 300ft and two worked to about 50-100ft. I used them for 1 year but have been very unsatisfied with the reliability of detection/transmission. So, I just bought 1 MURS Base Station, 1 MURS Probe, 1 MURS PIR Transmitter. Initially I had 2 problems, the Base Station Relay connection did not work - which I wire to my house door bell, and the MAPS probe started giving me false Alerts after about 15 mins, but the PIR Transmitter worked great for both detection and transmission anywhere on my thick hilly property within about 1/4mile (1500ft) of the Base Station in my garage. So, I immediately returned the BS+MAPS unit for exchange/replacement from the supplier AutoBarn.
AutoBarn sucked for the exchange. They answer the phone, but their constant delay/excuse tactics took 3 weeks until I got a new unit. I will NEVER buy anything from AutoBarn again.
The new BS relay worked fine, but the MAPS unit had the same problem (false Alerts after about 15mins of power-on). So, I called Dakota Alerts directly. The Dakota customer support folks are outstanding ! They answer the phone on 1-3 rings and make it clear they stand by their products and want to make it right. They immediately offered a new replacement unit (wanted to send the new one, then I would return the old one, to save time). I finally found my problem (my fault, bad batteries, how embarrassing...). So, I immediately E-Mailed Dakota and cancelled the 2nd exchange (Stupid Customer here !). In the end, both the MURS MAPS and PIR transmitter work great ! I am very satisfied with both units and very impressed with the DakotAlerts support team. They even convinced me to return the 4 older WR3000 transmitters, so they could check/replace them.
In summary, the MURS Alerts work great, the DakotaAlert support team is outstanding, and AutoBarn customer support sucks ! I gave 4stars to this product, only because of the AutoBarn return experience, the Dakota MURS gets 5-Stars.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Pretty good with a few modifications Mar 15, 2010
By Gandalph
First of all I am overall pleased with the unit. It works with no false alarms. I am using it at about 500' and it works every time. I have had a few problems that other people might want to watch out for. This unit uses 6 AA batteries in a cheap little battery holder. After only a few months the internal connections on the battery holder started corroding and the unit would quit working unless I cleaned the connections almost daily. To solve this I made up a 9 Volt battery out of 6 C cells that were soldered together with wires between the cells. This connects to the little terminal block on the circuit board where the original battery connected. No problems at all after this. Plus the C cells will last 3 times as long as the AA cells, probably more than a year!
As one other reviewer noted, the auxiliary contact is only rated 5amps at 28 Volts DC. Be careful not to connect this to a large device. I used a small 12 volt relay and a battery to make the transition to a heavier duty contact. The driveway alert causes the relay to close and the relay then operates a loud buzzer to get my attention. Works fine with very low power draw through the units small relay.
One other thing to watch out for. I have the transmitter mounted on a flat wall outside. Snow accumulates on the top of the transmitter box. When it touches the antenna, the unit stops transmitting. You must either protect the transmitter from snow or clean it often.
Watch out when mounting the transmitter, the box is fairly fragile and you can snap off the mounting tabs very easily.
The bottom line is that it works reliably and no false alarms. I would buy it again.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
A great system Mar 11, 2009
By Brent Vanfossen
The manufacturer, Dakota Alerts, claims this system has a range of 2 miles, sometimes achieving 4 miles, depending on terrain. While I haven't tested its long-range capability, it works beautifully for me at about 600 feet through forest, and is easily picked up every time in the basement. The portable unit allows you to communicate with a person at the base station.
o Dakota Alert o - MURS 2-Way Handheld Radio
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Great driveway alarm Dec 06, 2009
By Eric Johnson
This alarm works every time, unlike the infrared alarms that sporadically detect motion. The extended range of the transmitter is a nice feature, I have it located about 800 feet from the house. There is one oak tree at the end of the driveway where I installed it that attracts deer, so the magnetic sensor only detects vehicles, and there aren't any false alarms in the middle of the night. The sensor even detects ATV's driving by it.
While setting it up, I was going to use a 12 volt buzzer with the external relay. The manufacturer should have installed a fuse, because the buzzer fried the unit, even though it is rated for 28 volts. The people at Dakota Alarm quickly sent a new unit when I returned the damaged one. So the lesson learned is put a fuse inline with whatever you are turning on with the relay. Better yet, Dakota Alarm should have installed a fuse and better instructions about using the relay.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Works Jan 11, 2012
By Lanty
8oo ft driveway and perfect reception.I also bought the walkie talkie and it performs great too. Nice security supplement for the house off of the road.
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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