More importantly, why is it up to us to fix this problem. What if someone opens their unit and damages it because they aren't as handy as others here.

Their unit will not be covered for return then - and this whole thread suggests the issue is for us to resolve this.

If Maverick doesn't want to communicate about the issue with the ET-73 - then it will only come back to haunt them as a business.

I for one, can't recommend the ET-73 any more. I was doing so widely and have lost confidence in this product - since there is no communication or good faith action ...

Sorry for the rant - it's early.

for what it is worth... I can pretty easily get right around 100 feet. Slightly less through some walls, but I get reception anywhere in my house, with the smoker outside through a few walls. So, not everyone has reception problems.

I have two recievers both were built without antenna wires. I added a stiff single strand 18g.wire via a smaller 28g. wire soldered to the empty, so called un-connected hole on the p.c bd. as shown. The difference was remarkable. 25 ft. vs. 110 ft. line of sight, reception through one wall(sometimes) vs. reception through 4 walls and up a flight of stairs.

I consider this a tremendous difference. I then did the same mod to reciever #2 and got the same results.

Also, on a different note, I was told by Darren @ Maverick,during a phone conversation last week,that anyone that damages their unit while trying to either check for the antenna or add an antenna that he would replace the unit free of charge.

Al

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Al Silverman,

Al, since you are getting increased range by adding a wire, can you check your receiver and see if there is a small component immediately to the left of the hole where the wire is? I've put a shaded yellow oval over the area where to look.



The wire is connected to the pad to the immediate left. This shaded area was put there so that they could choose to add a component to connect this wire to the antenna trace with either a small resistor, capacitor, or a straight connection. If there is a component or a wire connecting these pads, then indeed a wire in the hole pointed to by the red arrow could act as an antenna. Without a component in this location, I can't find any way that a wire connected to that hole will have any effect, unless a strand of the wire or some solder over fills the pad and shorts it to the adjacent antenna trace (immediately above the hole).

-gbeck

Call Darren and ask him .... Why Not ???

Maverick Service....(732) 417-9666

Trust Me he is aware of this forum and our problems.

I just connected those two pads with a small wire, and now I am getting much better range. I'm a happy camper now

-gbeck

Robert Z. - Your concern about breaking the unit if you open it up is justified, however, I have never heard on this board ever that Maverick didn't give anyone who ever asked them for one, a new unit. I for one would not hesitate to open the unit.

Another point you raised is why we should have to fix the problem. Again, good point. The truth is I'd have more fun fixing the thing myself than just returning the unit. I think a lot of people on this board have a similar "tinkering" gene.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jerry N.,

Gary,

Nothing attached at the pad as shown. However, I spoke with one of the E.E's at work and he said that the small board with the coil is in fact the antenna. He also said that soldering or just putting a wire very close to the board, as I and some others have done, will help reception.

Al

Gary:
You connected the two pads with a piece of wire. Those are located just to the left of the hole that wires are added for antenna. Do you also have the wire added or did you just use the pads?

I added a very short piece of wire to the two pads I highlighted in that yellow oval. I also have a 6.5" piece of wire added to the pad with the hole to the right. I did not route this wire anywhere near the antenna trace on the circuit board. It goes down and left, then right around the bottom of the unit, and a little back up the right side.

-gbeck

Gary B,
Not exactly understanding your mod.

Dead center of the shaded yellow oval you drew over the photo - is there not a small square black component (much like the other black squares soldered to the board to the left of your yellow oval) with solder to the left and right that connects the "empty" antenna hole to the rest of the circuit? Did you bridge or bypass that component with the small wire?

I like the tinkering aspect of this "project" also; just want to make sure I'm understanding the steps involved. I added the 6.5" wire and got no noticable range improvement.

quote:

Originally posted by John Mason:
Gary B,
Not exactly understanding your mod.

Dead center of the shaded yellow oval you drew over the photo - is there not a small square black component (much like the other black squares soldered to the board to the left of your yellow oval) with solder to the left and right that connects the "empty" antenna hole to the rest of the circuit? Did you bridge or bypass that component with the small wire?

I got that photo from someone else earlier in this thread, it's not a photo of my unit. It's too low resolution to tell if there is a component there or not, however those pads under the yellow oval do look like they have solder on them like the other pads that do have a component. That's why I asked one of the previous posters to check their unit. Mine had nothing on these pads, including any solder like in this photo.

The component is probably a small value capacitor to couple an external antenna. If there is already something there, I would expect that a 6.5" wire would have a significant effect. With nothing there, I would expect it to have no effect, although as someone else noted, depending on how the wire is placed inside the unit, passing over the antenna board may provide some capacitive coupling that would improve reception.

Since this is a separate circuit board, it could be used in many different devices, some with an external antenna, some not. I'm just speculating here.

So it would seem to me that returning a unit to Maverick is not going to do much, I think mine is working as they intended. My house is stucco, and is covered with a thick wire mesh under the stucco, and that will inhibit low-power radio signals. I'm just looking for a way to simply improve range, and I've got it where I'm happy with it now.

Good luck with yours.

-gbeck

I tried the Nu-Temp offer via this board and have only used it on one smoke, but it works like a champ. VERY reliable and unbelievable distance.

If Maverick would actually honor fixing their units, instead of sending a replacement that still fails to work, I would go back to Maverick and continue to recommend them (show them off etc...), but I can't do that if their distance is barely 25 feet and they aren't sending out a real replacement that works.

They are more than welcome to contact me, but for now, I will deal with multiple transmitters and get the reception I need from the Nu-Temp.

I frequent the BBQ-4-U.com board and posted a review there:

http://www.myfreebulletinboard.com/f2/bbq4u-about2596.html

My board has solder on those two points, but nothing between them. Even so, I connected a 6 1/2 piece of wire to the hole, ran it outside the case (where the hole already is to connect the plastic stand) and my recepti0on improved dramatically. Now I can get good readings ALMOST everywhere inside the house, including through several walls.

Virgil

well, I'm smoking a pork butt right now and had some free time on my hands. I tie wrapped a 6" piece of grn wire from a 14g wire (solid core) to the left side of the receiver. I can now get a signal from my living room and amazingly from my porch (2 walls away). The smoker is in the middle of my back yard, porch is in front of the house. I was never able to get a signal in those 2 locations. thank you folks!

quote:

Originally posted by Claude M:
well, I'm smoking a pork butt right now and had some free time on my hands. I tie wrapped a 6" piece of grn wire from a 14g wire (solid core) to the left side of the receiver. I can now get a signal from my living room and amazingly from my porch (2 walls away). The smoker is in the middle of my back yard, porch is in front of the house. I was never able to get a signal in those 2 locations. thank you folks!

Are you saying that the 6" piece of green wire is not connected to anything internal to the receiver? The wire is just held onto the outside left of the receiver? Interesting...

I'm smoking a brisket right now, and with my internal wire am still getting poor range. I'm beginning to think that the transmitter orientation has a big factor in this, with no real experiments yet, my gut feel is that if the receiver is off to the side of the transmitter it gets a better signal, than if it is straight online to the front of the transmitter. And the receiver orientation may also be a factor.

This is too complicated! I'll give Claude's mod a try now...

Has anyone gotten a replacement since Darren became aware of this thread? According to my Delivery Confirmation, they received my return on Aug 4.

Let's try a better photo. I apologize to the dial up users but I'm getting confused with the descriptions here regarding where connections are being made.




The full size photo is here.
http://www.ihaveadotcom.com/Maverick/et732-big.jpg

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Phil S,

Nice photo.

Mine had no component or solder on pads 5,6,7.
I added a 6.5" wire to pad 7. There is a circuit board connect between 6 & 7. Also 1,2,3,4,&5 are all connected to the loop trace, which is the antenna.

I added a short piece of wire between 5&6, think my range improved somewhat, but I am still thinking the orientation of the transmitter and receiver may be a bigger factor.

-gbeck