Maverick ET 73 Good Report


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Tom,

What confuses me most, is that the unit is sitting on the kitchen table the whole time, about 30 feet away and no problems until the last 30 minutes. I didn't move the unit, and don't know why it chose to conk out at that time. When I spoke to Maverick, they thought that the transmitter might be too close to the heat source, but if anything the last 30 minutes my temps were in the low 200's. I love the unit but now I always make sure I have a manual for backup.
 
Hmmm, Randy. Much as the ET-73 seems great in principle, it does seem like people have seen a lot of flaky behavior with it.

My ET-73 and my first Redi-Check remote thermometers both have intermitent problems with no updates if the receiver gets too far from the transmitter. (Where by too far I mean 30-40 feet away behind one wall can be enough.) So I've been assuming that this is just the nature of the remote thermometer beast.

My only advice is to see if keeping the receiver even closer to the transmitter helps.

It's hard to tell from these annecdotal posts how much trouble people are having with these things. I wonder if there's a good poll topic here (Chris?).

--Tom
 
Hey everyone,

Happy to stumble into this thread!

I'm new to the WSM, and in the first two weekends, I've done the BRITU babyback ribs and a pulled pork bbq (with happy results!).

I ordered an ET-73 from thegadgetsource.com, and I was very impressed with their communication, shipping, customer service, etc.

On the downside, my ET-73 was defective: the on/off switch on the remote receiver stays on in the off position. I ended up buying a second AccuRite (wired) probe to do a pulled pork overnight session this weekend, and I had planned on returning the ET-73 for refund until reading this forum.

My plan now is to exchange the ET-73 and use it only for overnight sessions. While it seems a bit fragile (compared to the AccuRite) and possibly flakey, the convenience of the remote alarms is worth the risk, especially considering the stability of the WSM.

One question about the ET-73: the transmitter unit has its on/off switch in the battery compartment. Do you need to switch it off when not in use, or does it run for a long time in the "on" position, when not in use?

Any other advice/comments welcome!

-Richard
 
Richard,

Welcome to the site! Congrads on your BRITU (my personal favorite). I have always turned of my switch when not using it, if I remember correctly, it displays blank lines when not in use but turned on...so you wanna save your battery. I also had to return my first unit, I sent mine back to Maverick and got a replacement, that so far has only given me a problem once...I lost transmission at the end of the cook. I always keep a back up manual thermometer, so no harm done.
If in doubt, Maverick has a number to reach them with any questions...they are great about giving you any information you need. It's listed in the manual.
 
I've had good luck with my Maverick.

Re: reception of signal
I just check to make sure I see the indicator flash once and a while when I check the temp.
 
I have been reading this thread for months now and never replied to it. Just to throw my 2 cents in, I bought the ET 73 about 6 months ago and have about 20 cooks under my belt with it, and have had the same problems with reception at extended ranges that you other guys have. Having said that, I can honestly say that I think it is a great product. It's always right on in terms of temp, the batteries last forever, it appears to be well constructed (although I'm a little bit courious why they put the on/off switch inside the battery access door on the transmitter, I would guess this is for protection from water). I have dropped this thing many times with no ill effects. I love it, and it has made the whole Q experience more fun. Don't know what I would do without it, I would probably Q much less than I currently do.
 
I thought I was happy with my Maverick until yesterday's cook. I could barely get the receiver to sync with the transmitter and I was less than 6 feet away. The only obstacle was a sliding glass door. When I first got the unit it worked all over the house, but now the receiver is virtually useless.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill Hays:
[qb] Russ,
That sounds like a battery problem - Might want to check them. [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Thanks! Will replace the batteries and let you know how my next cook goes.
 
Replaced the batteries in my Maverick with fresh batteries. I now get an extra foot or two distance. I am only 15 feet away with a closed glass patio door and this darn thing won't update. Can't understand it. When I first got the unit it worked like a champ all over the house.
 
Hey Russ, I'd send that thing back. It's definitely
got a problem. I've use mine dozens of times (still
with the same batteries) and I can put mine anywhere
in the house (upstairs, downstairs, garage, back room) and I've never have a reception problem.
R.D.
 
Mike, I asked Maverick the same question about the on/off switch insie the unit. They said it was so the unit would be more water resistent and weatherproof.
 
Hey,

At some point in another thread (can't find it) someone asked if it would hurt just to leave the ET-73 transmitter turned on, given the inconvenient power switch.

But the transmit switch is inside too. So unless you were going to leave the receiver on too (and nearby), you'd still have to open up the transmitter to register it with the receiver. Right?

--Tom
 
Well, I put up a picnic shoulder this morning at about 1am. The Maverick reciever only updated transmission about every ten minutes, but the temps were stable so I went to bed. Woke up at 6:30 to a lost transmission pattern...moved closer to the unit and it picked up again at 325...yikes! Went outside, put more water in the pan and quickly got the temps down. Internal temp of the meat...183. Now the reciever is picking up signal every few seconds in the same spot I had it last night when it was picking up every ten minutes. Hoping to have an acceptable product for lunch before I take Joe to the airport. I'm beginning to have a love/hate relationship with this unit. Maybe I'll call Maverick later this morning and see what they say.
 
I have found moving the Transmitter a few inches
or changing the position of the wires hanging from the probes makes a big difference on
receive distance and update frequency.
Remember these gadgets are just like cheap cell phones. Very low powered radios.
I just move the Transmitter around to find a good spot were all is working good and then leave it alone during the whole 6 to 14 hour cook.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top