Radar guns are everywhere, whether we want them to be or not. They are pointed at us on the highway by patrolmen, and gunning our way during baseball practice. Have you ever stopped to think about radar guns as a whole? Prepare to be informed, as this article will give you the goods on these guns.
WHAT?
What is a radar gun really? Radar itself is an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging, and a radar gun is a radio transmitter and receiver. It sends out a signal and returns the same signal, reading its frequency to find out the speed of the object it was pointed at. This phenomenon is labeled as the Doppler Effect. Radar guns come in different sizes and strengths. Smaller guns, such as the Speedster II or the Bushnell Velocity, are used for little league baseball, soccer, and other sports where extreme precision is not necessary. Higher powered guns such as the Decatur Genesis VersaPak, are used as police radar guns.
WHO?
The type of people that use radar guns is extremely widespread. Users range from sports coaches, parents, highway patrolmen, matchbox car racers, researchers, and even neighborhood watch leaders. The applications for radar guns are seemingly endless.
WHERE?
You have probably seen a police officer hiding on the side of the road with a radar gun pointed at oncoming traffic, but that is not the only place where you can find them. Many teams of various sports use radar guns to help train and motivate their players by showing the results of their technique, posture, and hard work. Nothing gets a young tennis player more excited than actually seeing their serve speed increase by 5 mph! In many racing circuits, radar guns are used to keep track of straight-away speeds and also to monitor a car’s performance.
WHY?
Why do we need radar guns? Well, one of the most important and crucial reasons why radar guns are so prevalent in society is to monitor the speed of drivers on roads and highways. In today’s fast paced world, many drivers are neglecting speed limits and consequently getting into more accidents. Police radar guns such as the Stalker Lidar help control our streets and make them safer.
The world of radar guns can be further explored in our radar guns FAQ, while some of the terminology used can be referenced in our glossary. Stay tuned to OpticsPlanet to see the latest in radar gun technology!
