Radar Guns Blog: Radar Gun News, Radar Gun Forum, Radar Gun Products, Radar Gun Reviews, Radar Gun Information, Radar Gun Advises

I don't know if many of you are fans of Comedy Central's Tosh.O, but I love it, and last week's episode had host Daniel Tosh meeting up with the world's fastest wiffleball pitcher. You can see the clip from the show here. The pitcher was able to light up the Bushnell Velocity radar gun with a speed of 95mph! Holy cow! I'm barely able to throw a banana peel into the garbage every morning.

There are a number of uses for radar guns. We have options available for baseball, police, archery, racing, tennis and golf, but most people don't throw wiffleballs hard enough to care about measuring speed. At least, they didn't until now. Something tells me a lot of people are going to be trying to throw some heat with a wiffleball after watching Tosh.O. It'll be interesting to see if many other people can make similar speed show up on a radar gun. The weight of the wiffleball and the holes don't make it optimal for high performance pitching. Slight air currents greatly affect accuracy and speed, making for fairly inconsistent pitching, yet the guy on the show did a great job of maintaining accuracy and speed. I'm impressed (to say the least)!

On a side note, if Daniel Tosh is reading this (and let's face it, he probably is, since RadarGunsBlog.com is likely one of the most popular blogs on the Internet) he can replace his D&G sunglasses at EyewearPlanet.com. He might want to get two pairs if he intends to wear them while playing wiffleball. If you want to measure your pitching speed with a good sports radar gun, head over to Radarguns.com for a great selection of speed detection devices at low prices.

Labels: Bushnell, sports

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a radar gun. The range of the gun, accuracy, battery life, durability and reliability are all important. Yet with all the focus on the quality of the speed detection device itself, no machine will operate correctly if the user doesn't know how to use it. It's with this in mind that I mention a news article I just read about a string of bad speeding tickets recently issued in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It appears the procedures for radar gun use have not been followed very closely.

Dashboard cameras in cop cars have shown that officers have been using the moving mode on their police radar gun in residential areas, which, according to NSW policy, is only to be used in rural areas where there is significantly less traffic. The reason for this is that there is too great a chance for false readings when a number of cars are in the vicinity of the radar gun at the same time. The speed gun will accurately display the speed of the object in it's path, but it is difficult for police officers to determine which vehicle is traveling above the speed limit.

The proper procedure for measuring speeds in NSW is for a stationary police vehicle to lock in the speed of a vehicle for at least three seconds before pursuing to issue a ticket. This minimizes the chances of the wrong vehicle's speed is read and attributed incorrectly.

With the unfortunate number of possibly faulty tickets issued recently, citizens are fighting the fines and taking police departments to court. One man was pulled over when a police cruiser read his car traveling 27 kph over the speed limit. The man couldn't believe the reading. He took a copy of the dashboard camera's video to a radar expert, who was able to determine that while the radar gun was operating correctly and the reading was correct, the police misunderstood the reading and pulled over the wrong vehicle.

With practices this sloppy I could probably play baseball in the Major Leagues. You just need to let me throw a few pitches while standing next to San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson.

A good radar gun, whether it is used for baseball, racing, archery, or police purposes, is a great tool and they are remarkably accurate, but you still need to know how to use them correctly. Check out our page on How Radar Guns Work so you'll have a better understanding of the technology. It might do the police in New South Wales some good too.

Labels: news story, police procedure, police radar

It seems like scientists are coming up with new uses for radar guns all the time. A few weeks back I wrote a post about a radar gun-like device that could be used to diagnose brain injuries, and now I've learned of a network of radio antennas along the west coast of the United States that are measuring ocean currents.

From Washington State to Ensenada in Mexico, ocean surface currents are now measured to give scientists the opportunity to study how ocean currents affect various ecosystems. Of particular interest is the California Current, which flows mostly South from Canada to Mexico, and is responsible for fog, water temperatures and fisheries in California. The current is not constant in its southward flow, as it sometimes reverses near shore and seasonal cycles cause changes that are presently unexplained. Scientists hope this new radar speed measuring system will give them greater insight into why these currents fluctuate.

A similar system has monitored currents in San Francisco Bay for a few years, aiding in search and rescue operations and in the aftermath of the 2007 COSCO Busan oil spill.

Like police radar guns, the network of antennas send out a radio signal and measure changes in the return signal. Any motion on the object hit by the signal will change the radio wave, and these changes can be measured. This is how the speed of your car, baseball, golf ball or arrow can be accurately measured. The same principle now applies to waves in the ocean. Wave movements can be measured as far as 90 miles from shore.

This radar system for measuring water currents would have come in handy for Aristotle, who, legend has it, died while sitting by a river, trying to figure out why the currents were changing so frequently. He never did figure it out.

Labels: environmental radar, police radar, radar uses

I like to think that government officials in Youngstown, Ohio read my recent post about helping the police by using your own radar gun to track speeds of passing motorists in your neighborhood, because the city has unveiled their initiative to arm citizens and neighborhood watch groups with speed detection devices for that very reason.

Called Operation Tranquil Streets, the initiative has signed up over a dozen citizens for a class on tracking and recording traffic violations. Upon completing the class, the citizens will be given a radar gun, log sheets and a brightly colored vest so they can go out in groups to record traffic violations in their designated areas. While the information gathered from citizens will not result in citations, a warning will be mailed to the offender, which will hopefully result in slower speeds on residential roads in the future.

One of the primary areas of concern are streets closest to highways, as drivers often do not slow down when exiting the higher speed zones. Residents mentioned that it isn't just cars that are speeding through their residential neighborhoods, as buses and trucks are also a major concern, with a bus having recently lit up a police radar gun while traveling 55 mph through a small side street. Children were not only present in the area, but also on the bus, so it was an especially dangerous example of speeding.

A detective-sergeant on the Youngstown police force said that there have been 6 deaths in traffic accidents this year, which is equal to the number of murders in the city.

I hope Operation Tranquil Streets takes off and really works to minimize dangers on the road in Youngstown. It would be great if average citizens armed with traffic radar guns could save some lives.

Labels: police radar, public safety, traffic radar

While some people like to go fast, for others it is almost a compulsion. With this in mind, it isn't a big surprise that many NASCAR drivers fall into the 'compulsion' category. If I spent my life trying to go fast, I'd find it hard to turn off that 'need for speed' too.

In addition to loving speed, NASCAR drivers are often given opportunities the rest of us don't enjoy. One example of this just recently happened to Kyle Busch, who was given the keys to a $450,000 Lexus LFA, a high performance sports car capable of topping 200 mph. He turned out to be incapable of driving the speed limit, since shortly after taking the LFA out a police cruiser clocked him on a radar gun going 128 mph in a 45 mph zone.

I imagine the conversation between Busch and the officer didn't follow the usual "Do you know how fast you were going, sir?"

"No, officer, but I'm sure I was within the speed limit."

I know there's some leeway in speed limits, but I doubt most cops will give you an 83 mph buffer.

Personally, I'd have told the officer that I saw a low-flying aircraft pass over my car right at the moment he clocked me on the police radar gun. I might've received a warning.

Other NASCAR drivers have admitted to speeding tickets, and most advise Busch to simply avoid temptation by not taking out high-performance vehicles like the Lexus LFA. Many drivers choose a truck or sedan that can't handle the high speeds since they aren't designed for ridiculous performance.

Busch has a July court date to determine whether his driver's license is suspended or not. Regardless of the outcome he'll be able to participate in races, as NASCAR doesn't require drivers to have a valid driver's license.

Part of me wonders if a suspended driver's license is a badge of honor for a racecar driver.

Keep it safe. Avoid tripling the speed limit whenever possible. Although, if you're on a private track and know what you're doing, you could use a car racing radar gun to see how fast your sports car can go.

It's no secret that we here at RadarGunsBlog.com are big supporters of law enforcement agencies. Many of our products are specifically geared toward police use. That's why it saddens us to learn that there has been a lack of interest recently in police careers.

In Sevierville, Tennessee the police department has gone from having over 150 people apply for each open position 10 years ago to less than 30 applicants per position today. To combat this downward trend, the police department is offering police camps for kids, which teaches the campers about the various activities that police officers perform and the many tools they use.

Physical fitness tests and training start off each day, and the kids are taken to a shooting range to experience the variety of different firearms police officers use in the field.

One really cool part of the camp is showing the kids how police use radar guns for traffic enforcement. The campers are allowed to use the radar guns to track their running speeds and they can stand a safe distance from busy roads to measure the speed of passing cars.

These activities are designed to cultivate interest in the police department for a new generation of police officers.

Personally, I think this is a great way to help kids get involved with the police force, plus it's a great place for parents to send their kids since they're supervised by cops and they'll be safe. Even if most of the kids don't become cops they'll know why and how things are done. No one likes getting a speeding ticket, but instilling the knowledge that it's necessary to keeping the roads safe (at least when it doesn't happen to me) will help the police department have fewer disputes with the public.

If you want to gain a little knowledge into how the police detect your driving speed, take a look at the great police radar guns we have on sale from top brands such as Decatur and Stalker Radar.

A golf radar gun is used for a handful of reasons. The primary one is physics. The greater the speed of the clubhead upon impact, the further the ball will go. Most speed detection devices will tell you how much faster you're swinging, and the resulting hit will make the ball travel farther.

The problem many golfers face when trying to improve their distance is that they lose control. It doesn't matter how far the ball goes if it's going in the wrong direction. Even minute changes in the positioning of your hands can cause the ball to hook or slice wildly. To correct this you need to work on consistency. If your swing is consistent, then you can make the necessary little changes to correct your accuracy.

The Sports Sensor Dual Mode Swing Speed Radar w/ Tempo Timer was designed specifically for golfers. It not only tells you the clubhead speed, but also your takeaway speed and it will monitor the consistency of your swing. The combination of these readings will give you an overview of your swing, so that you know where to make improvements.

I wouldn't use just any radar gun to improve my golf game, because it isn't power that leads to lower scores, it's subtle control and accuracy. If your swing is consistent you'll be better able to judge which club is right for each shot. A good radar gun for golf will actually take your game to the next level, which is the whole point, right? So don't flail away with your club just to make the number on some inferior radar gun go up, stop by RadarGuns.com and get the Sports Sensor Dual Mode Swing Speed Radar w/ Tempo Timer to improve every step of your swing.

Like most people, I tend to drive a bit more conscientiously when I see a cop car. I slow down, make sure my hands are at ten and two, and even sit up straight so that there's no reason to pull me over. For a brief window of time I'm the perfect driver that I was when I took my driving test at 16. But when the cop car is out of view, any bad habits I may have return. Police are aware that many people drive better around cops, and since police officers can't be everywhere the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is employing a new technique for keeping motorists in line: disguising cops armed with radar guns as road workers.

PennDOT is especially concerned with work zones, as they are the most dangerous parts of roadways, both for drivers and for workers. New traffic patterns, tighter lanes and the presence of workers necessitate lower speed limits, but if traffic is light most people will continue on at non-work zone speeds. State governments have raised fines and added other penalties, such as a 15-day suspension of the driver's license, in place in work zones in an attempt to persuade drivers to slow down and pay attention to the road.

Unfortunately, the deterrent ability of the police is severely limited since most people are like me, and only slow down when they see cop cars. To combat this, Pennsylvania has enacted Operation Yellow Jacket to try to convince the public that they must be wary of traffic fines regardless of overt police presence. Police officers dressed in the Day-Glo clothes of PennDOT workers are armed with radar guns to catch unsuspecting speeding motorists. When a reading on their police speed gun exceeds the 55mph speed limit, they radio ahead to a patrol unit who pulls over the vehicle and issues a citation or warning. The lead-footed drivers have no chance to slow down because they don't see a cop car until it's too late.

The new system is in place to remind motorists of the speed limit and to protect road workers, who risk their lives when they fix road problems. While no one intends for injuries or even deaths to occur because of a little speeding, it happens all too often.

We should all be driving slower through work zones regardless of possible penalties against us, but now we'll have a little extra incentive, since any one of those road workers could be a police officer with a speed detection device just waiting for us.