ET-73 Problem


 
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Dave Schwartz

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First, let me say that Maverick customer service has been great. I had reception problems with my first ET-73. With that in mind, they sent me a replacement ET-73. I'm still having the same problem. I can not get any reception with the ET-73 in my bedroom which is no more then 25 feet from the patio where my WSM resides. Because of that, on long cooks, I have to get up in the middle of the night to check the receiver temp. that I have to keep in my family room, off the patio, because that is the only place that it works. Has anybody else had similar problems?
 
I think I read somewhere that a certain lot of ET-73s came in from the far east with a defect that resulted in problems with reception. Having said that, I'm sure that Maverick would have sent you a replacement from a different lot.

I have about the same setup as yours and two walls separate my bedroom and patio, but mine works fine. There have been several times that I thought there was a problem because of no change on the readout for a long time, but it was just a stable temp. If you watch the readout long enough, an icon will flash letting you know that it's linked to the transmitter.
 
Bamabob, my receiver looses the numbers and all you see are dashes. As you had mentioned, I would of thought that they would of sent me a replacement from a different batch. Maybe they did, but it's still not working.
 
If you're getting dashes, then it's definitely not connecting. Does it pick back up when you move the receiver closer to the transmitter, or does it start that way when you turn both units on?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BamaBob:
If you're getting dashes, then it's definitely not connecting. Does it pick back up when you move the receiver closer to the transmitter, or does it start that way when you turn both units on? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Once I lose the signal, I've got to turn both the transmitter and receiver off and start again.
 
Regardless of distance, it won't go through too many walls. I have to put mine in the family room, although the distance to my bedstand is the same, I lose signal there because of too many walls/appliances.
 
I am going through the same problem as well.

Maverick said it was receiver problem. They sent a new receiver a couple days ago. Same problem, no distance.

I spoke with them again and although we both agreed that the problem must be with the transmitter, they won't send one to me unless I send the two receivers back to them first.

During my first contact with Maverick, I found the customer service person to be very helpful. After my second conversation with the same person, I felt as though they were questioning my honesty. They did however, say they were going to send out a new ET-73. We'll see how this goes.
 
I had asked if they want me to send my old ET-73 back and the girl I spoak to said not to worry about it until we get the problem resolved. Well it's still not resolved, but based on the posts from John and J, the 100ft Maverick claim might not apply if you have walls!
 
The 100ft range is line of site. Any obstructions will reduce the range. My first one would not pass through a pane of glass at 15' and was most certainly defective.

My problem was with both the receiver and the transmitter. The transmitter would die if I turned it on and replaced the back cover. I used it once by leaving the back cover off but still could not get a signal at any location within the house.

My second one (maverick replaced it) will make it 50' into my home, but I have found a couple dead spots where two or three walls stand in the way. The impact of the walls increases if the signal is passing at an oblique angle.

BTW, my little battery test is still running without a hitch.
 
Chet, I should have mentioned in my first post that mine will only go about 15' direct line of site as well.

Glad to hear that there may be hope yet! Although 50' is half of advertised distance, that would be a great improvement.
 
I went through 2 TX before they sent a NEW RX and TX to me a few days ago. I am getting the distance I want now but I don't know if it is 100'.

I did get it to use on overnight cooks...at worst I would set the alarms and hoped I'd hear it when or if they'd go off in the middle of the night.

Good enough I guess!?!?
 
One of the things I have done with this is to use a baby monitor to "extend" the range of the alarm. The baby monitors work pretty well, and when I am sleeping, I only care about the alarm..
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I have finally found a solution for myself (I found a good spot upstairs RIGHT next to the window with line of sight to the smoker -
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and I no longer use the baby monitor.

-Matt
 
This ET-73 transmission problem seems to be chronic. Many folks seem to have been struggling with it for many months. It seems like a great solution if your bedroom happens to be configured near your smoker and with few interferring walls.

With all the possible headaches, consider putting the dough towards a BBQ-Guru instead. It'll monitor the temps, and also do something about it when they fall.

The top reason I've heard for not bothering with a guru is: "why would youn need one, the wsm holds temps so well by itself?" I'm guessing that anyone struggling to get an ET-73 working believes they need SOMETHING. My advice is to save up for a BBQGuru and forget about the whole line-of-sight/too many walls problem.

My $0.02

Best,

Doug
 
Very true Doug. I still use my ET-73 along with the Guru (the E-Temp), but now I use 2 food probes instead of the pit probe, and set the alarm for food temps. I'm wired baby!
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I use both the Guru & ET-73. The problem with just using the Guru is that it is not a remote transmitter & I can't hear its alarm unless I go outside.
 
I posted a week or two ago about a problem with my receiver. I changed batteries but still wasnt working as well as it had been. I just called Maverick and they are sending out a new one and I just need to send the old one back when it comes in. She also said to call if the problem persists. The CS at Maverick rivels that of Weber...what a team they would make.
 
I think you are right, Owen.

Believe it or not, While on the phone with Maverick, I asked if the problem I was experiencing was common or not. Of course she replied, very uncommon. She has heard of only a few ET-73's being returned due to a distance problem. She must be on coffee break when all the calls come in!
 
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