driveway alert

[mikim]

anybody know of a brick & mortar retailer for dakota alert? I need a driveway alarm and wireless intercom for the guest cabin and thought I'd like Dakota but I need to looky touchy. I'm old like that.

 

[JD 4520]

More info may help with suggestions...

Do you have a gate now?
Do you have power to that location?
What is the distance from point A to point B?
What obstructions? This is important if you are trying a wireless solution.
Alarm is usually separate function from an intercom.

 

[DennisArrow]

Mike.......Call the actual company "Dakota Alerts" up in South Dakota. I have never seen one of their products at ANY store; but have been using them for perhaps 8 or 9 years now. I have 4 of their units and over the years have discussed a lot of issues and they have gone far out of their way to make me happy.

You will find when you talk to the actual people that they are totally helpful, honest, considerate, and knowledgeable about filling your need............

Good Luck......God bless.....Dennis

 

[jk96]

+1 for given them a call. Great service. I purchased the murs system from an online store. Due to high weekend traffic because of a business we run the system was burning through a lot of batteries. I gave them a call for suggestions and they upgraded my system to 12v so I could use and recharge a lead acid battery. They did the upgrade and shipped back within a couple of days and didn't charge me a dime. Never asked for a purchase date, receipt, etc. Simply said send it and we'll upgrade it.

Jeremy

 

[daveshoot]

At the low end of the scale, if you have a Harbor Freight nearby you can see one of these:

You can find them on sale for 14 bucks, frequently. They are one of the HF gadgets that "don't suck" if you get a good one. They are not even close to the Dakota class monitors, but if the range is short they work pretty well. Also good for night monitoring of troublesome critters.

 

[KYDan]

At the low end of the scale, if you have a Harbor Freight nearby you can see one of these:

You can find them on sale for 14 bucks, frequently. They are one of the HF gadgets that "don't suck" if you get a good one. They are not even close to the Dakota class monitors, but if the range is short they work pretty well. Also good for night monitoring of troublesome critters.

I bought a set of these and installed them on our driveway. They are now on my list of Harbor Freight junk that sucks! I guess I didn't get a good one.

 

[Luremaker]

I obught a set of these and installed them on our driveway. They are now on my list of Harbor Freight junk that sucks!

I have the same Harbor Freight alarm and is has been working good so far. Range is less than the 300' though. I installed it in August, sun, rain or snow it still works. Was thinking of picking up a second one for the shop.

 

[Western]

I think TSC sells something like this, but not sure, I was looking at the gate openers. May check there to see what they have.

 

[jinman]

Mike, Cabela's sells the Dakota Alerts in their online catalog. I'm not sure if they have a demo in their stores. You might call the store in Buda, TX and ask them at (512) 295-1100. Any excuse is a good excuse to go to Cabela's.

 

[Combustix]

Mike, Cabela's sells the Dakota Alerts in their online catalog. I'm not sure if they have a demo in their stores. You might call the store in Buda, TX and ask them at (512) 295-1100. Any excuse is a good excuse to go to Cabela's.

Isn't Cabela's the American Mecca. I used to make annual pilgrimages to Sidney. :laughing::laughing:

 

[grsthegreat]

I am a dealer for Dakota Alert... but i dont believe that there are any brick and mortar type dealers out there. I usually just order what my client wants.

 

[mikim]

Mike, Cabela's sells the Dakota Alerts in their online catalog. I'm not sure if they have a demo in their stores. You might call the store in Buda, TX and ask them at (512) 295-1100. Any excuse is a good excuse to go to Cabela's.

I'm afraid Cabelas is one of those stores I'm no longer allowed to enter without a leash.aka dw

 

[nybirdman]

Bought my Dakota Murs system on line;have two transmitters ,one 1/2 mile away.Very good system.

 

[grsthegreat]

Bought my Dakota Murs system on line;have two transmitters ,one 1/2 mile away.Very good system.

that system is nice... i only wish they had a 120 volt option available in place of the batteries.

 

[jk96]

that system is nice... i only wish they had a 120 volt option available in place of the batteries.

I sent my murs back to Dakota and had them upgrade the batteries to 12 volt. I was then able to cut off the wiring harness for the AA batteries and and use a single 12v lead acid rechargeable battery. Last much longer than the AA batteries and I don't have to spend the money to replace them. Just recharge the lead acid every once in awhile. The new battery also fits inside the original housing.

Jeremy

 

[grsthegreat]

I sent my murs back to Dakota and had them upgrade the batteries to 12 volt. I was then able to cut off the wiring harness for the AA batteries and and use a single 12v lead acid rechargeable battery. Last much longer than the AA batteries and I don't have to spend the money to replace them. Just recharge the lead acid every once in awhile. The new battery also fits inside the original housing.

Jeremy

im thinking of ways to make the controller hook into a 120 volt battery replacer...but havnt done much with it yet.... prob is i cant put the thing into a larger weatherproof box cause it would disrupt the signal. some day ill play with it and figure out a cure.

 

[Locoweed]

Since mine eats AA batteries, this sounds interesting. What battery did you use?

I sent my murs back to Dakota and had them upgrade the batteries to 12 volt. I was then able to cut off the wiring harness for the AA batteries and and use a single 12v lead acid rechargeable battery. Last much longer than the AA batteries and I don't have to spend the money to replace them. Just recharge the lead acid every once in awhile. The new battery also fits inside the original housing.

Jeremy

 

[jk96]

Since mine eats AA batteries, this sounds interesting. What battery did you use?

Below is the e-mail I received from Dakota Alert explaining the modification they made.

Jeremy

We are currently converting the probe systems over to 12 Vdc. In the MURS
system this has had positive results.

What we ran into was the sensor board handled the 12 Vdc ok, but the radio
board would not. To compensate for this we have developed a voltage divider
circuit that is between the sensor board and the radio board. Our service
department will do this at no cost to you if you would like to send that
transmitter to us. That would help in going to a 12 Vdc lead acid type
battery. Also a some customers have added a solar panel such as a car
battery charger type to maintain the charge.

The sensor board uses around 2 uA at standby. The only real draw on the
battery is during transmission. The radio can use up to 750 mA when
transmitting.

If you would like to send the transmitter to us just include a letter that
has your name, return address, phone number, and a description of what you
need done.

Thank you,

Randy Umphress
Service Dept.
Dakota Alert, Inc.

I cut off the AA battery housing attached clips for the lead acid battery so I could easily remove and recharge. It just barely fits in the transmitter box. This is the battery I used. Universal Power Group, Inc D5738 1.3 Amp Sealed Lead-Acid 12 Volt Batt Also, keep in mind that with a lead acid you want to avoid a deep discharge so make sure your recharge before it's completely drained.

 

[zzvyb6]

Here's my driveway alert. Sets off the crossbuck, also an alarm tone in the house 800' away and on the golf cart I'm riding in. Funny how the dogs respond to the alarm tone from the golf cart and now played on YouTube !

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf0TsYX5I0g]July 21, 2011.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

 

[grsthegreat]

Here's my driveway alert. Sets off the crossbuck, also an alarm tone in the house 800' away and on the golf cart I'm riding in. Funny how the dogs respond to the alarm tone from the golf cart and now played on YouTube !

July 21, 2011.wmv - YouTube

where did you steal the rr crossing from LOL... too bad it didnt have the arm