Radar Gun Questions

[Pocket Radar Inc.]

There are a lot of things that get posted about getting accurate readings on radar. We are always happy to help answer any questions. There are many things in the set-up and environment that can cause any radar gun to read low or get strange readings. The police have a 40 hour class created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to train officers on all of these issues before they write tickets with radar. We try to help people understand some of these critical issues to make sure they get good data with this simple acronym:

D - distances (there are minimum and maximum distances that need to be set up to be sure the radar can accurately track the ball)
A - aiming (all radar guns put out a very narrow focused beam, the ball must be in the beam at the release point and travel straight in-line with the beam)
T - tilt (a small amount of tilt on this focused beam can cause you to miss the ball at the release point and get a reading after it has slowed down due to air resistance)
A - angles (all radar guns get lower readings when the ball path is off-angle from the radar beam, this is due to something called the COSINE effect)

It is important to understand that a ball in flight slows down very rapidly due to air resistance. A softball pitch slows down 4 to 5 MPH from the pitcher to the catcher.

We have developed a great collection of set-up diagrams to help people understand what they need to do to get good readings with a radar gun. You can find them on the support page of our PocketRadar.com web-site. Here is a link:

Sports Set Up Diagrams

Helpful set up diagrams that show you how radar works and where to correctly position radar to get the most reliable and accurate speed readings. How to set up Pocket radar diagrams for baseball, softball, cricket, and more.

www.pocketradar.com

If you ever have any questions about any radar topics please feel reach to reach out to us on our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time.

Please let me know if there is ever anything we can do to help.

Thanks,

Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

 

[efastball]

How far out of the hand will your gun measure?

 

[El Oso]

There are a lot of things that get posted about getting accurate readings on radar. We are always happy to help answer any questions. There are many things in the set-up and environment that can cause any radar gun to read low or get strange readings. The police have a 40 hour class created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to train officers on all of these issues before they write tickets with radar. We try to help people understand some of these critical issues to make sure they get good data with this simple acronym:

D - distances (there are minimum and maximum distances that need to be set up to be sure the radar can accurately track the ball)
A - aiming (all radar guns put out a very narrow focused beam, the ball must be in the beam at the release point and travel straight in-line with the beam)
T - tilt (a small amount of tilt on this focused beam can cause you to miss the ball at the release point and get a reading after it has slowed down due to air resistance)
A - angles (all radar guns get lower readings when the ball path is off-angle from the radar beam, this is due to something called the COSINE effect)

It is important to understand that a ball in flight slows down very rapidly due to air resistance. A softball pitch slows down 4 to 5 MPH from the pitcher to the catcher.

We have developed a great collection of set-up diagrams to help people understand what they need to do to get good readings with a radar gun. You can find them on the support page of our PocketRadar.com web-site. Here is a link:

Sports Set Up Diagrams

Helpful set up diagrams that show you how radar works and where to correctly position radar to get the most reliable and accurate speed readings. How to set up Pocket radar diagrams for baseball, softball, cricket, and more.

www.pocketradar.com

If you ever have any questions about any radar topics please feel reach to reach out to us on our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time.

Please let me know if there is ever anything we can do to help.

Thanks,

Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

Those diagrams are fantastic. Thank you for letting us know about them.

 

[Pocket Radar Inc.]

How far out of the hand will your gun measure?

We have 2 handheld products for softball and baseball, the Smart Coach Radar and the Ball Coach Radar. Both of these will get the release speed of the ball up to 120 feet away.
Our Pro Radar System has a large radar module for long range applications and can get the ball at the release point from over 200 feet away from the release point.
Let me know what else we can do to help.
Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

 

[Pocket Radar Inc.]

Those diagrams are fantastic. Thank you for letting us know about them.

Thanks for the feedback. Let us know what else we can do to help.
Good luck!
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar inc.

 

[cnardone]

@Pocket Radar Inc.
If the person with the Radar is only 6 feet (or so) behind the pitcher, what kind of an effect would that have on readings?

thanks
cmn

 

[Pocket Radar Inc.]

@Pocket Radar Inc.
If the person with the Radar is only 6 feet (or so) behind the pitcher, what kind of an effect would that have on readings?

thanks
cmn

Good question. At 6 feet back from the release point the radar beam is still very narrow and does not spread out very far. So you need to aim it very carefully. If you are standing up and holding the radar up at your shoulder height, the beam will be well above the ball at release and you will pick up the ball speed after it gets into the beam somewhere closer to the plate once it has slowed down. If you are only 6 feet back you need to carefully have the radar down at the same height as the release point and you need to be very careful with the tilt of the radar so the ball travels straight in-line with the radar beam. Imagine placing a board at the release point and shining a flashlight toward it, the spot on the board would help you visualize the aiming of the radar beam.
If you ever have any questions on any of these issues, feel free to call us on our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific time.
Thanks,
Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

 

[Shiloh]

Thanks for weighing in Chris. Happy Holidays.

Very timely discussion for my family.

A scout from the Dodgers told me last summer that they found that Pocket Radar loses its accuracy after about 2 years, even with frequent battery replacements. I haven't found this to be true, but what's does the company think for an expected life?

FWIW I've had mine for 4 years and all seems well:
I compare my Pocket Radar to high end Stalker, etc. readings whenever possible, usually it's a group of coaches/scouts behind the plate, or a stationary gun and display set up.

I've found that about 60% of the time it's accurate, about 30% it's 1mph below, and about 10% 2mph below.
Has never, ever been over.

Thanks.

 

[Pocket Radar Inc.]

Thanks for weighing in Chris. Happy Holidays.

Very timely discussion for my family.

A scout from the Dodgers told me last summer that they found that Pocket Radar loses its accuracy after about 2 years, even with frequent battery replacements. I haven't found this to be true, but what's does the company think for an expected life?

FWIW I've had mine for 4 years and all seems well:
I compare my Pocket Radar to high end Stalker, etc. readings whenever possible, usually it's a group of coaches/scouts behind the plate, or a stationary gun and display set up.

I've found that about 60% of the time it's accurate, about 30% it's 1mph below, and about 10% 2mph below.
Has never, ever been over.

Thanks.

Thanks for the note. This is always an interesting discussion. The patented Pocket Radar family of products use much newer technology than the large bulky radar guns. We use a high-tech dielectric resonator that holds the calibration for the life of the radar. We have many radars in the field that are still being used accurately after 10 years. If they are well cared for, there is no loss in accuracy on the Pocket Radar products. If they get dropped, abused or hit by a ball it is possible for something to get broken inside. This typically results in a loss of range, not a loss in accuracy. That loss of range can easily be confused for a drop in accuracy if you try to use it at a long distance from the release point because of the slow down of the ball. This may have been what the person you spoke to had experienced. Next time please have them call us and we can help.

I find it very interesting that people will compare the Pocket Radar products to the so called "high end" guns and make assumptions about the differences in the readings. Most people assume that because the large radar guns are very expensive and have longer range they are also more accurate. This is not the case. These are simply police radar guns that have been repurposed for sports. Please check it our for yourself. If you go to their web-site you can see their accuracy is specified to be +/- 3% of the reading. They also sometimes need to be re-calibrated because they use older technology with a mechanical tuning for the accuracy. Most of the time these large expensive radar guns match the Pocket Radar readings but sometimes they do not. This same thing happens when you put two of the expensive bulky guns side by side each other on the same pitch. More expensive does not equal more accurate. If you are interested in learning more and seeing some independent testing on these radar guns you can find a lot more details on this site: https://www.pocketradar.com/pages/pocket-radar-accuracy

Also, please remember that the issues I mentioned earlier of Distances, Aiming, Tilt and Angles, can easily cause a 1 or 2 MPH difference in readings.

If you ever feel that you are not getting good readings on any radar gun we are always happy to help with troubleshooting. You can reach us at our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time.

Thanks,

Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

 

[Shiloh]

Thanks for the note. This is always an interesting discussion. The patented Pocket Radar family of products use much newer technology than the large bulky radar guns. We use a high-tech dielectric resonator that holds the calibration for the life of the radar. We have many radars in the field that are still being used accurately after 10 years. If they are well cared for, there is no loss in accuracy on the Pocket Radar products. If they get dropped, abused or hit by a ball it is possible for something to get broken inside. This typically results in a loss of range, not a loss in accuracy. That loss of range can easily be confused for a drop in accuracy if you try to use it at a long distance from the release point because of the slow down of the ball. This may have been what the person you spoke to had experienced. Next time please have them call us and we can help.

I find it very interesting that people will compare the Pocket Radar products to the so called "high end" guns and make assumptions about the differences in the readings. Most people assume that because the large radar guns are very expensive and have longer range they are also more accurate. This is not the case. These are simply police radar guns that have been repurposed for sports. Please check it our for yourself. If you go to their web-site you can see their accuracy is specified to be +/- 3% of the reading. They also sometimes need to be re-calibrated because they use older technology with a mechanical tuning for the accuracy. Most of the time these large expensive radar guns match the Pocket Radar readings but sometimes they do not. This same thing happens when you put two of the expensive bulky guns side by side each other on the same pitch. More expensive does not equal more accurate. If you are interested in learning more and seeing some independent testing on these radar guns you can find a lot more details on this site: https://www.pocketradar.com/pages/pocket-radar-accuracy

Also, please remember that the issues I mentioned earlier of Distances, Aiming, Tilt and Angles, can easily cause a 1 or 2 MPH difference in readings.

If you ever feel that you are not getting good readings on any radar gun we are always happy to help with troubleshooting. You can reach us at our toll-free support line at 888.381.2672 weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time.

Thanks,

Chris Stewart / President, Pocket Radar Inc.

Got it. Thanks for the explanation.

So why are the more expensive guns more expensive then? And why would police and pro scouts use them instead of your product?

Not trying to be a mensch, just asking genuine questions.

Does the price difference and older technology being used have anything to do with the readings being able to hold up in court, i.e where there's a history with these products?

Thanks.