- Jun 12, 2015
- 30
- 8
How accurate is the Bushnell radar gun in relation to the pocket radar?
Either my Pocket Radar is inaccurate...
- Thread starter Lobster Birch
- Start date
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Pocket R
Measure - Train - Improve
This is always an interesting topic. If anyone ever has any questions about radar in general please give us a call and we are always happy to help. Our toll-free support line is available from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time on weekdays at 888.381.2672
When it comes to accuracy the question is often more about how to make a good radar measurement than the raw accuracy of the gun. It is important to understand how radar works to get a good measurement. Like people mentioned here, using the "Grandpa method" moving the radar can add several MPH! The following items apply to all radar guns: You must have the radar beam in-line with the path of the ball, If you are off angle side to side or up and down you will get lower readings. For instance 10 degrees off will be 1% low and 20 degrees off will be 5% low, further than that is a big problem. Many times people have the radar gun held much higher than the path of the ball and add a significant angle without realizing it. Tilting the radar gun down can also cause low readings.
Not all radar guns are designed to be able to accurately pick up a ball in flight. As mentioned earlier a softball or baseball slows down about 1 MPH for every 7 feet of travel due to air resistance. So it is important to have a radar that is specifically designed to capture the ball right at the release point. We built our Ball Coach radar model specifically for this purpose. It captures the speed of the ball right out of the hand or right off the bat. With other radar guns it often depends on the timing of when you make the measurement whether you get the fastest speed or some other point. Keep in mind that a pitch is typically only in the air for about 1/2 second. This is why we do not recommend our Classic model for measuring ball speeds because it works very differently. Other low cost radar guns have a very slow update rate which can affect when they get the reading. This is why the college coaches have standardized on using the Ball Coach radar for their training and scouting. It uses the latest advanced technology and is guaranteed to be accurate to +/- 1 MPH.
As many others have pointed out. The best use of the radar gun is to help with improving skills by having instant feedback to know which techniques or form work better than others. In that case the important thing is to get consistent readings by setting up the same every time. Please let me know if you have any questions, we are always very happy to help. Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.
When it comes to accuracy the question is often more about how to make a good radar measurement than the raw accuracy of the gun. It is important to understand how radar works to get a good measurement. Like people mentioned here, using the "Grandpa method" moving the radar can add several MPH! The following items apply to all radar guns: You must have the radar beam in-line with the path of the ball, If you are off angle side to side or up and down you will get lower readings. For instance 10 degrees off will be 1% low and 20 degrees off will be 5% low, further than that is a big problem. Many times people have the radar gun held much higher than the path of the ball and add a significant angle without realizing it. Tilting the radar gun down can also cause low readings.
Not all radar guns are designed to be able to accurately pick up a ball in flight. As mentioned earlier a softball or baseball slows down about 1 MPH for every 7 feet of travel due to air resistance. So it is important to have a radar that is specifically designed to capture the ball right at the release point. We built our Ball Coach radar model specifically for this purpose. It captures the speed of the ball right out of the hand or right off the bat. With other radar guns it often depends on the timing of when you make the measurement whether you get the fastest speed or some other point. Keep in mind that a pitch is typically only in the air for about 1/2 second. This is why we do not recommend our Classic model for measuring ball speeds because it works very differently. Other low cost radar guns have a very slow update rate which can affect when they get the reading. This is why the college coaches have standardized on using the Ball Coach radar for their training and scouting. It uses the latest advanced technology and is guaranteed to be accurate to +/- 1 MPH.
As many others have pointed out. The best use of the radar gun is to help with improving skills by having instant feedback to know which techniques or form work better than others. In that case the important thing is to get consistent readings by setting up the same every time. Please let me know if you have any questions, we are always very happy to help. Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.
Last edited:
- Jan 9, 2015
- 301
- 28
Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Thanks Chris! Everyone loves the Grandpa Radargun video, but if the update rates on current models are as fast as I suspect they are, aren't Grandpa's well-intentioned efforts wasted?
Asking for a friend who knows just enough about TDR to be dangerous
Pocket R
Measure - Train - Improve
Thanks Chris! Everyone loves the Grandpa Radargun video, but if the update rates on current models are as fast as I suspect they are, aren't Grandpa's well-intentioned efforts wasted?
Asking for a friend who knows just enough about TDR to be dangerous
Interesting point. Unfortunately it will still have an effect on the speed. The forward motion of a radar gun will add to the instantaneous speed because radar is always measuring relative motion. The update rate cannot go too fast or it cannot sense a speed on the ball. So there is no way to get around the basic physics involved.
So the Grandpa video is still a great example of how NOT to use a radar gun.
Thanks,
Chris
Or a car on an adjacent road. Was gunning Jake back in the day in an HS game. Folks got excited when my Stalker II read 69 mph. Pointed out the expressway just past the outfield.
Still one of the funniest posts in DFP in my opinion.......Thanks for the repeated laugh Rise!
Since someone brought this post up I wanted to add something I’ve found very nice about the pocket radar. If you find your self sitting next to a pitchers dad being annoying, bragging on his daughter’s speed the mere sight of the pocket radar is guaranteed to have them go quite and most of the time move. I never go to a tournament without it. Lol
- Jan 22, 2011
- 1,628
- 113
Which is why I got a big kick when at the end of Javasource's clinic that Ken_B hosted, Javasource came up to me and said, 'Your daughter is throwing a sustained X+2, why did you say the fastest she has ever thrown was X'. I told him, good instruction at the clinic, and I hadn't gunned her in 6 months.
