Okay, so I know it sounds a little like paranoia, but I’ve been noticing some pretty fast drivers in my neighborhood. I decided to play Neighborhood Watch and check it out. I loaded up my daughter in her stroller, grabbed a bottle of water and my Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun, and headed out for a walk around the block. As my little Julia was looking around and talking to the trees blowing in the wind, (hey, she’s 4 ½ months old) I would stop momentarily and check the speeds of the cars driving by with my radargun. I was a little surprised by what I was seeing. I noticed that cars driving on the major thoroughfare were all driving the speed limit or under. The people that were speeding were the ones driving on the smaller streets, trying to fly past all the good citizens who were going the speed limit. Some of these cars were even exceeding the 25 mph speed limit by as much as 30 mph! Who needs to drive 55mph on small neighborhood streets with kids playing in their front yards? Disgusted with what I saw, I loaded up our Graco Stroller and headed back home to write a letter requesting a couple patrol officers in my neighborhood. It’s amazing how being a parent will change your outlook on the way people drive.

Ryan

Finally, after a long wait, Radarguns.com reveals the Decatur Radar Gun Holster! This holster is specifically designed to hold the Decatur Genesis GVP and Decatur Genesis GVP/D directional Handheld Police Radar Gun. The Decatur Radargun Holster is essential for any motorcycle officer who intends to use a handheld police radar gun. This unit works very similarly to a level II retention pistol holster in that it uses tension and a thumb strap to secure the Radar Gun. This holster is intended for use on motorcycles, but can be easily mounted almost anywhere. Handheld Radarguns are ideal for motorcycle use, because most mounted or permanently installed police radar guns have not yet been certified for traffic use by the NHTSA or the IACP.

Ryan

The Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun claims to operate in Peak Speed mode at all times. In reality, the Speedster can be operated in either Peak or Continuous mode without complication. Squeeze and hold the trigger on the Bushnell Speedster II, and the LCD will display the real-time speed of whatever subject you are targeting. As soon as you release the trigger, the LCD will display the highest recorded speed.

Suppose you have a remote control car that you want to see how fast it goes. Aim the Speedster at the car and hold the trigger down. As the car accelerates, the current speed will be displayed. If the car runs out of batteries when it hits 30 MPH and it starts to slow down, the LCD will reflect this. Release the trigger and the display will be locked on 30MPH.

For baseball use, the fastest speed of the ball is within 1 ft of the pitcher. Aim the Speedster II at the pitcher and squeeze the trigger. After the pitch is released, you can release the trigger. The pitch speed of the ball is displayed on the LCD.
Note: You must be within 100 ft of the pitcher with nothing obstructing your view. (Including the backstop)

Ryan

In motor sports such as auto racing or motocross, you may be interested in how fast a vehicle (or other object) is traveling at all times. You may also be interested in top speed of a car at the drag strip. The Decatur Prospeed Professional Cordless Radar Gun CR-1K measures exactly that. It has two separate modes that are suited for this.

In Peak Speed mode, the Prospeed will display real time speeds as soon as they are measured up until the subject reached its maximum speed. When the subject starts to decelerate, the maximum measured speed stays on the display. To use this feature, set the Prospeed in Peak mode. Aim the Radar Gun at the subject to be clocked. Gently squeeze the trigger until “P” displays. When a speed is detected, it will start displaying the current speed until the top speed is reached. The top speed remains on the display until you squeeze the trigger again.

In Continuous mode, the Decatur Prospeed is constantly taking speed readings. If you are aiming at a subject, it will always display the subject’s current speed. If it is accelerating, decelerating, or keeping a constant speed, the current speed is displayed.

Ryan

In Peak Speed mode, any handheld sports radar gun will display and lock the fastest speed recorded. When pitching a baseball, the fastest speed is within 1 foot of releasing the ball. The JUGSpeed Cordless Radar Gun will only display the first speed recorded, because it the ball is not accelerating past this point. To use the JUGSpeed radar gun in this mode, just aim the unit toward the pitcher, press the trigger, and wait for the pitch. The pitch speed is displayed on the LCD. To record the next pitch, press the trigger again and wait for the next pitch.

In Continuous mode, the JUGSpeed Cordless radar gun is really working in Continuous Peak Speed mode. It functions exactly as it does in Peak Speed mode, but you do not have to reset the trigger. After 3 seconds of not detecting any targets, it resets itself for the next pitch. As soon as it detects a speed, it is displayed on the LCD.

The JUGSpeed Cordless Radar Gun will not display any changes in speed. It will only tell you the speed on an object at the moment you pull the trigger. To display the speed on an accelerating object, you must keep pressing the trigger to keep updating the speed displayed.

This product is compatible with most camera tripods and is best used in this fashion.

Ryan

What is the difference between the JUGSpeed Cordless Radar Gun and the Decatur Prospeed Professional Cordless Sports Radar Gun CR-1k?

While the JUGSpeed and Decatur Prospeed look almost identical (both are manufactured by Decatur) they really do serve different purposes. Their software is completely different. Both models of handheld radar guns list themselves as having a Peak Speed mode and a Continuous mode. Each model operates differently in these modes.

In reality, the JUGSpeed Cordless Radar Gun operates in “Instant Speed” mode. For baseball and softball, the highest speed is within one foot of the pitcher. All other speeds are ignored. In Peak speed mode, the JUGSpeed will take an instant reading and display that reading on the LCD. Aim the unit at the pitcher and squeeze the trigger. As soon as it detects a moving object, it displays its speed. To reset the unit for another pitch, press the trigger and repeat the process. In Continuous mode, it operates the exact same way. The only difference is that you do not have to reset the unit. It automatically resets after 3 seconds of inactivity.

The Decatur Prospeed Professional Cordless Radar Gun CR-1K gives you real-time readings of speed. In Peak mode, it locks the fastest recorded speed on the LCD. In continuous mode, it is always displaying the current speed.

Ryan

Well, after many hours of testing and comparing, the great Radar Gun Review is completed. Okay, so the part where I play with the toys is, at least. There is a large amount of information to compile which will be updated as I get through it. As a brief overview, they all work. Each model has specific software with a specific purpose. These were the models tested and their best recommended uses.

Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun – Extremely Versatile: Any Sports use
JUGSpeed Cordless Radar Gun – Pitching or Serving sports
Decatur Prospeed Professional Cordless Sports Radar Gun CR-1K – Motor Sports
Decatur Genesis Handheld Directional Radar Gun – Law Enforcement or Motor Sports

Even though some of the models look identical (and are made by the same company) there are big differences between them that I never would have expected. Over the next couple weeks, I will be discussing the differences between these models, and why I have them listed for specific uses.

Ryan

I am often asked for a suggestion on which Handheld Radar Gun to use to clock the speed of a baseball pitch. Which one will work? In truth, they will all work. You just need to know how to use each model to make it work. Baseballs and softballs are small targets moving very fast. Here are a few key elements to remember when using a radar gun for these sports:

The radar gun needs to be within 100 feet of the pitcher.
Do not have any obstructions between the radar gun and the pitcher, such as the backstop.
You must point the radar gun directly at the ball.
You must be as close to the line of travel as possible. (Standing behind the catcher is best)
The fastest speed is within 1 foot of the pitcher.
Pull the trigger during (or before) the windup.

Failure to account for any of these may result in an inaccurate reading, or no reading at all. My suggestion for a good Baseball or softball Sports Radar Gun is as follows:

Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun
JUGSpeed Cordless Radar Gun

Ryan

While Laser Ball sounds like a painful cross between Laser tag and Paintball, it truly
is an interesting product. Contrary to its name, The Laser
Ball Speed Radar does not use a laser to determine pitching
speed. Instead, it uses their patented Hand Sensing Technology to
determine when the ball was thrown, when it is caught, and calculates
the speed comparing the time from pitch to catch with the distance
thrown. The Laser Ball Speed Radar comes with preset distances of 20',
30', 40', 46', 50', 60 1/2', 70' and 80', which you select before the
pitch. Just set the ball to standby, pitch it, and read the speed after
it is caught. Just do not throw it against a hard wall or hit it with a
bat. The Laser Ball Speed Radar is meant only for the gentler handling
of a pitch and being caught in a glove. Also available as a Yellow
Softball Speed Radar If you are a coach, or you're in
training, you might want to check this product out.

Ryan

In many of the articles and user manuals written about handheld radar guns, you will almost always see a section on the cosine effect. Basically stated, this is how the accuracy of the radar gun is affected by the angle in which you are standing from the path of the target. Almost all of these article are written to show how close you need to stand to the directional path of traffic or the baseball being clocked.

I was recently asked if the cosine effect could be eliminated by targeting traffic with a handheld police radar gun standing directly over the highway on an overpass. This was a great question, because according to the way these articles and manuals are written, this would eliminate the cosine effect. Unfortunately, the writers did not take this scenario into consideration. The cosine effect is three dimensional. The same principles that apply to standing along the side of the road also apply to standing above it on an overpass. Based on the height of most overpasses that accommodate a full size tractor-trailer, this would actually be a worse place to stand than the side of the road.

Ryan