Radar Gun Questions

[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.

Shiloh, Great points.

No problem, I am always happy to answer any questions.

Yes the Police Radar guns must go through very extensive independent testing at the lab specified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I am very familiar with this because I am actually a member of the committee that works with NHTSA to set the requirements for all law enforcement radars. This testing allows them to be listed on what they call the official CPL list to make sure they hold up in court. This makes them much more expensive, they are also waterproof which drives the price up even more. Police Radar guns are typically specified to be +1/-2 MPH, of course this is more in favor of the driver if they are writing a ticket. The Pocket Radar Certificate of Accuracy that is shown on the link I provided earlier is from the same independent test lab (IPTM) that the police radars use and shows the accuracy of the Pocket Radar technology is +/- 1 MPH.

The pro scouts use them because them they have many instances where they need to be more than 120 feet away from the release point. We have many pro baseball scouts also using Pocket Radar products, but they realize they can only use them when they are right behind the backstop and not sitting back in the stands. We try to make it clear that we are selling products focused on Coaching and Training where 120 feet is plenty of range. We work with many pro scouts all the time and they will tell you that on any given pitch they will easily see a 2 MPH spread when there are a bunch of the big radar guns all together. There are many reasons the guns that are repurposed from police guns are more expensive, but accuracy is not one of them. Check out this independent test study where they put two of the expensive guns from the same company together and they have different readings more times than when they were the same. In one case 3 MPH different:

Radar Gun Fun, Part 3

Demystifying the Radar Gun: Comparing Radar Systems “Any fool can know. The point is to understand”. This quote by Albert Einstein fuels my belief as a coach. Just because we know somet…

pitcherlyfe.wordpress.com

I always tell people, please don't take my word for it. Go check it out for yourself by looking up their specifications on accuracy. Or, if you can afford it, run the same test for yourself.

Let me know if this helps answer your questions. Feel free to reach out us with any questions 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.

 

[uncdrew]

I was using my Pocket Radar Smart Coach last night on my DD. The sun went down as we were working, and the light from the house lit up my DD some but not the plate. She was throwing into a bownet and I was using the radar from behind the net.

Readings stayed accurate, and it struck me that it probably does work in the dark.

Does it work in the dark?

 

[Pocket Radar Inc.]

I was using my Pocket Radar Smart Coach last night on my DD. The sun went down as we were working, and the light from the house lit up my DD some but not the plate. She was throwing into a bownet and I was using the radar from behind the net.

Readings stayed accurate, and it struck me that it probably does work in the dark.

Does it work in the dark?

Thanks for the message. I am always happy to help.

All Radar guns operate using focused radio waves. There is no effect on the radio waves when it is dark, (although it may be harder to read the number on the LCD display). The accuracy of the radar does not change with lighting conditions. It works fine in the dark.

If your daughter is throwing into a Bownet, make sure the ball is in the air at least 15 feet or more from the release point to the net to be sure the radar has plenty of time to track the ball in flight and give you a good reading of the maximum speed at the release point.

Feel free to reach out us with any questions 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]

Shiloh, Great points.

No problem, I am always happy to answer any questions.

Yes the Police Radar guns must go through very extensive independent testing at the lab specified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I am very familiar with this because I am actually a member of the committee that works with NHTSA to set the requirements for all law enforcement radars. This testing allows them to be listed on what they call the official CPL list to make sure they hold up in court. This makes them much more expensive, they are also waterproof which drives the price up even more. Police Radar guns are typically specified to be +1/-2 MPH, of course this is more in favor of the driver if they are writing a ticket. The Pocket Radar Certificate of Accuracy that is shown on the link I provided earlier is from the same independent test lab (IPTM) that the police radars use and shows the accuracy of the Pocket Radar technology is +/- 1 MPH.

The pro scouts use them because them they have many instances where they need to be more than 120 feet away from the release point. We have many pro baseball scouts also using Pocket Radar products, but they realize they can only use them when they are right behind the backstop and not sitting back in the stands. We try to make it clear that we are selling products focused on Coaching and Training where 120 feet is plenty of range. We work with many pro scouts all the time and they will tell you that on any given pitch they will easily see a 2 MPH spread when there are a bunch of the big radar guns all together. There are many reasons the guns that are repurposed from police guns are more expensive, but accuracy is not one of them. Check out this independent test study where they put two of the expensive guns from the same company together and they have different readings more times than when they were the same. In one case 3 MPH different:

Radar Gun Fun, Part 3

Demystifying the Radar Gun: Comparing Radar Systems “Any fool can know. The point is to understand”. This quote by Albert Einstein fuels my belief as a coach. Just because we know somet…

pitcherlyfe.wordpress.com

I always tell people, please don't take my word for it. Go check it out for yourself by looking up their specifications on accuracy. Or, if you can afford it, run the same test for yourself.

Let me know if this helps answer your questions. Feel free to reach out us with any questions 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.

Great info, thanks.

Great product too.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Thanks for the message. I am always happy to help.

All Radar guns operate using focused radio waves. There is no effect on the radio waves when it is dark, (although it may be harder to read the number on the LCD display). The accuracy of the radar does not change with lighting conditions. It works fine in the dark.

If your daughter is throwing into a Bownet, make sure the ball is in the air at least 15 feet or more from the release point to the net to be sure the radar has plenty of time to track the ball in flight and give you a good reading of the maximum speed at the release point.

Feel free to reach out us with any questions 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.

Chris, thanks for all the information and great product.

Recently, I've seen a pitching instructor posting speeds of pitchers using what they call a "Run through." Basically, they have the pitcher run at top speed and release the ball in a full motion from about 15 feet away from the net, which the coach stands behind.

My question is how much velocity do you feel this adds to the pitch? They've posted speeds upwards of 70 MPH, which I know isn't what the girls can throw in games. I would think the pitcher's forward momentum is adding at least 8-10 mph to the ball flight. Is it even picking up an accurate speed that way?

Thanks again.

 

[CoachJD]

Thanks for posting. Those images are helpful. I've been positioning the radar way too high.

One question: Will the radar give effective readings if it's turned horizontally? In order to position it vertically, I have to spend extra time rigging up something. If I could get accurate readings with horizontal positioning, I could just slide it in to the phone holder I have for my tripod.

 

[tomorrow]

Two questions around the same topic. When hitting off of the tee. Will the pocket radar pick up the bat movement if positions incorrectly? Can you make it pick up the bat speed if you wanted it to?

 

[eagle6]

I want to know how to make it read faster!! I see posts all the time with these personal best speeds and they always seem MUCH higher than reality! But they have pictures to prove it. Go figure.

 

[slowcelica]

Can the radar read accurately from behind the pitcher? I’ve always only used it while catching, but that can be tricky.

 

[Mcbridej74]

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.

That is hilarious man. I have the pocket radar - sometimes I get a funny remark about having one, then first thing they ask me is if I could gun their kid.

The one thing that is almost 100% certainty is parents saying it’s wrong - that such and such pc gunned their kid at 50, 53, 55. It almost always comes in at 4-5 miles slower than what dad said it would.

I saw exactly what you did. Maybe once in a while comes in a little slower by 1-2 mph (usually a positioning error from where the pitch came in) but almost always right on - never faster.

Dads almost always prefer PC numbers over mine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk