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I assume that few teenagers, when visiting a foreign land, are especially excited to see the jails. Though that is likely the case for most teens, a group of foreign exchange students from Onomachi, Japan were actually very interested in American jails and police departments. One student remarked that his dream job is to be a police officer back in his home country, so seeing the way American law enforcement works was first on his list of things to do during his visit.

The Japanese foreign exchange students, whose home was devastated a few months back by the tsunami, are partaking in a program that was started 20 years ago by a Glen Rock, NJ teacher. As sister cities, Glen Rock and Onomachi exchange a handful of students every year, although the tsunami has made the exchange particularly welcome for the Japanese students this year. The students have been mostly kept indoors for the last few months because of structural damage that is still being repaired in Onomachi. Their home town is also less than 25 miles from a nuclear plant that was devastated by the tsunami, so this trip is also a welcome respite from the fear of fallout and radiation.

Spending time outdoors at local swimming pools and water parks has been particularly fun, but it was the technology and procedures at the police department that had some of the students the most excited. A demonstration of police fingerprinting and radar gun techniques wowed the students. Not only did they get to see the police radar gun in action, they got to try it out themselves!

It's unfortunate that the students have had such hardship recently, but those who met them in Glen Rock were impressed by their attitude and spirit. Even after the disastrous events that tore apart their home town the kids were eager to learn and full of life. The memories of this trip will no doubt have a lasting impact on their lives, and perhaps the young student who hopes to be a police officer in Onomachi will one day be using a radar gun while on duty.

Labels: police radar, radar guns, students

Radar guns are used by police to catch speeders, baseball coaches and scouts to track pitching speeds, golfers to improve their swing and tennis players to measure their serve, but since radar can be used to measure the speed of just about anything, you can also use it to improve your running speed.

Whether it's distance running or short sprints, running speed is a great way to measure the overall condition of an athlete. It can be tough to measure your peak running speed, even with a friend using a stopwatch. It may not be the most conventional method of increasing your speed, but using a radar gun to track your performance will benefit you regardless of which sport you partake in.

Running sprints is one of the best ways to improve your speed and explosiveness. Jogging actually causes you to lose muscle mass, but sprinting will build muscle to help you go faster. Weight lifting and stair running also help, but nothing beats sprinting as a means of increasing your speed. A great way to enhance your workout is with a radar gun. Just have a friend measure your speed and keep track on a fitness log. The measurements track your performance and let you know if you're working your hardest during each workout. Sometimes your body will lie to you, but the radar gun will let you know if you're reaching your peak speed or not. The same technique works when running up stairs or hills.

The best thing about tracking your running speed with a radar gun is the motivation you'll get from trying to best yourself. Competing with someone else can be extremely beneficial, but if the person is far faster or slower you won't get the most out of the workout. Either you lose motivation after constantly chasing a faster partner, or you're slowing down to allow a slower partner to catch up. Competing with yourself will always give you an opponent at your level, but it's also an opponent you'll want to beat.

I say leave the yesterday version of yourself in the dust. Get healthy. Get fast. Speed train with a radar gun today.

Labels: radar guns, running speed

Most of us, when we consider radar guns, think of police pulling over speeders on the road. Dependent on your point of view the police may be too vigorous or too lax in their ticketing.

A road near my house recently had the speed limit lowered from 30 mph to 25 mph. I didn't understand why the limit was lowered, as 30 mph was pretty slow already, so I starting checking into the factors for determining speed limits.

First, speed limits are determined based on the input of a number of different government agencies. For most states, the Department of Motor Vehicles works in conjunction with local police departments to set the limits. There are standard state rules for various types of roads, so that if there is no posted speed limit for some reason there is still a limit that must be adhered to.

Usually there is one speed, around 30 mph, for town and residential roads, another, around 50 mph, for county roads, and a third, around 60 mph, for state highways. At the most basic level, every state requires drivers to operate their vehicle in a reasonable way and consider hazards or conditions regardless of posted speed limits. This means that even if a driver is travelling under the posted speed limit a police officer can issue a speeding ticket because of extreme conditions.

But what about those posted limits? How are they determined? While the 30, 50 and 60 mph is usually close to what you see on each type of road, they're often a little different.

A number of factors come into play when setting these limits. First, engineers will use traffic radar guns to measure the speed of vehicles over the course of a few days or weeks. Studies have shown that 85% of drivers will drive at a safe speed on any road, taking into account conditions and traffic. So after all the speed data is gathered, the limit is usually set at the maximum speed 85% of drivers will use. Roads change though, so other factors, such as road development, road characteristics (sharp curves, hills, etc.) pedestrian activity and recent crash history in the area also affect what speed limits are set at.

Ultimately, local governmental councils have the final word on speed limits. They accept or decline the limits suggested by engineers from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Most of the time they will accept the limits with little debate, but local residents can also make their voices heard, and since local governments are elected, speed limits can be affected by public sentiment.

This is what happened in my neighborhood. I looked into the limit change, and it appears that a few local residents were unhappy with the 30 mph speed limit, so they made their voices heard and it was lowered to 25 mph. There are enough children playing near the street to account for the change. I may not like driving at the lower limit, but I have to admit it's nice having slower traffic when I'm walking my dogs.

One thing many engineers point out is that a road with an inappropriate speed limit will likely result in more speeding. As already stated, most people will drive at the speed they feel is safe and appropriate for the road. Even conscientious drivers will have their speed creep up when the limit posted is too low. So take note of the speed limit and what feels natural to you, otherwise a police officer with a radar gun might catch you speeding.

Labels: radar guns, speed limits

Every once in a while I read a news article that brings a smile to my face. Admittedly, this isn't a heartwarming story, but I still had to smile at the stupidity of those involved.

Down in Austin, TX a man and woman were arrested by police for racing. The 33 year old man was driving a 2001 Honda Civic, and the the 17 year old woman was driving a 1997 Ford Escort.

Really? An Escort vs. a Civic? Not exactly the cars they used in Fast and Furious. Don't get me wrong. I'm not mocking the overall value of the cars. I just don't see them as speed machines.

The police reported seeing the cars accelerating past one another repeatedly and they were clocked on the police radar guns going over 60 mph. Other drivers on the road were shown to be travelling at about 39 mph, so the racers were certainly driving faster than everyone else.

My favorite part of the story is the excuse the male driver gave when questioned by police. He told them that he was speeding because the woman in the car next to him was driving fast. My grandmother would ask him if he would also jump off a cliff because everyone else was.

I also had to smile when I read that the 17 year old female doesn't have a driver's license yet. She's still on her learner's permit. I feel there should be a few extra questions on her driver's test.

"Should I be racing in a 1997 Ford Escort?"

No.

"Is it a good idea to do anything stupid, like racing, when you only have a learner's permit?"

Again. NO.

Radar guns work remarkably well, although in this instance they were not the main tool used by police, who simply had to use their eyes to see the racing. The two drivers were not issued citations. Both were arrested and held on a $1,000 bond for street racing.

Labels: racing, radar guns

OpticsPlanet and RadarGuns have teamed up to bring you the What Would You Do with a Bushnell Speedster III? Contest. The winner will receive a Bushnell Speedster III and a SpeedScreen. To enter, all you need to do is create a video no longer than 2 minutes that answers these two questions:

1. What would you do with a Speedster III?

2. How would a Speedster III make your activity more productive, fun or interesting?

Upload your video to your Youtube account and submit it as a video response to our contest video. Second place wins a Bushnell Speedster III, and third, fourth and fifth place each win an OpticsPlanet $50 gift card! The contest has already begun, and all entries must be submitted no later than July 24, 2011. You can see all the rules and guidelines here.

We can't wait to see what you guys come up with. Winners will be announced September 9, 2011.

Labels: Bushnell, contest, speedster III radar gun

I realize that I say I've read a cool story from time to time, but this one has an inspirational twist that sets it apart. A young sixth grade baseball player has been proving coaches wrong and throwing some serious heat lately, striking out one batter after another, even with a couple perfect games this season. The inspiration comes from what the boy overcomes. He only has one arm.

Nate Muehe was born with a stunted left arm that reaches only to about where his elbow would be, but he has chosen not to let his disability interfere with his love of baseball. At only 12 years old, Nate is able to throw the ball over 60mph. His coach can't believe his eyes when looking at the baseball radar gun. Very few pitchers at his age can throw the ball that fast with the accuracy Nate achieves.

But even with his cannon for an arm, Nate was turned down when he tried out for various teams in the last few years. Most coaches couldn't see past his disability. His current coach said he got tired of losing to the one armed pitcher and decided to get the boy to play for him. Even when he isn't pitching Nate is a dynamo on the field, playing center field and first base equally well.

The best part Nate's story is his attitude. Even though others look down on him, he never lets his disability take away from his life. Nate does everything that everyone else does, just differently. He's in school, and he has to help out with chores at home. When someone says something negative or shows pity for him, Nate takes it in stride. Most kids give him compliments on how well he plays, and he knows those are the comments that matter.

Nate's sense of humor has won over many people, as he doesn't let his limitations prevent him from having fun. Since Nate feels the truth about his arm being a birth defect isn't exciting enough, he tells people that it was bitten off by a shark. Any kids who tease him tend to quiet down after hearing that.

Regardless of how he lost his left arm, Nate's right arm compensates by allowing him to light up radar guns every time he pitches. It's hard not to be inspired by a kid who can look a disability in the eye and not let it define his life.

Labels: baseball radar, news story

I just read a cool story about someone using data gathered from their GPS device to beat a speeding ticket. The basic gist of the story is that a police radar gun read an 18 year old driving 64mph in a 45mph zone but he felt that the ticket was unwarranted, so the driver found the tracking data from his GPS unit and presented it in court. A traffic expert for the police initially claimed that the 18 year old was traveling over the speed limit, but after reviewing the data from the GPS unit, which records speed, location, date and time, the expert had to agree that the driver was going within the posted speed limits.

Pretty cool. It looks like the radar gun used by the police officer was not aimed accurately, and the actual speeder got away scot free.

The precedent set by this case may force police departments across the nation to modify their procedures to make sure the readings they get from speed detection devices are accurate. The main change will be to how cops use speed traps. Many drivers are issued citations in speed traps while they're slowing down. Momentary speeding is often dismissed by judges, especially if the driver can prove they were attempting to slow down when the ticket was issued. Proving this intent has been nigh impossible until recently. Radar guns showed your speed, and unless there was a malfunction, it was accepted absolutely.

I wrote a post a little while back about how GPS tracking data was sold to a local government, who used it to set up speed traps. It looks like the tables have turned. Now GPS is getting people out of tickets. It's funny how the same technology used by the government to monitor us is now used to thwart government intrusions.

Labels: gps, police procedure, traffic radar

Of the natural phenomenon that occurs on Earth, tornadoes cause hundreds of deaths per year. So far in 2011 there have been 525 deaths in the United States, which, while higher than normal, is still part of a downward trend over the last century, as deaths from tornadoes have steadily declined. The reason for the decline is primarily due to better forecasting technology. Outside of taking shelter there isn't much one can do when caught in the midst of a tornado, so giving more advanced warning is the best way to save lives.

Currently, the Doppler radar system used to track weather patterns predicts tornadoes about 13 minutes before they occur. This is far better than the system used in 1980, which only gave about 5 minutes of lead time before the tornado touched down. A new radar weather system may soon be in place called Phased-Array radar, which would almost immediately give forecasters the ability to predict tornadoes about 22 minutes before they touch down. As more data is collected forecasters may be able to improve their methods to give as much as 60 minutes of warning before tornadoes touch down.

The principle behind the new technology is the same as that used in current weather systems and in radar guns used by police and baseball scouts across the country. A radar wave is sent out and reflects off a moving object, bouncing back to the radar device. The shift in frequency of the wave is measured, giving the speed of the object. The difference between the current system and the Phased-Array radar is the speed at which measurements are gathered. At present, Doppler radar uses a bulky parabolic antenna that must rotate 360 degrees at multiple elevations to produce an image of wind direction and velocity every five minutes. Unfortunately, forecasters need multiple images to be sure that a tornado is brewing, so while they may suspect a storm could produce a twister, they must wait for more data before they can confirm their suspicion and issue a warning.

Phased-Array radar produces images so quickly that it appears to be a movie. Forecasters still need to wait a few minutes to be sure a tornado is forming, but they are able to issue a warning far quicker than normal. The new system can also be repositioned instantly to focus on areas that are more likely to have tornadoes. As more data is collected and methods are developed using Phased-Array radar, weather forecasters may be able to issue warnings as much as 60 minutes before a tornado touches down.

Phased-Array systems have been around for years as a military tool, but it is still being developed for weather-specific purposes. The biggest obstacle to having it implemented nationwide is the cost, which would still need to be cut in half before widespread use.

Labels: doppler radar, new technology