I was recently asked about whether or not a radar detector would pick up a sports radar gun. The customer stated that their Hot Wheels brand radargun would not set off their radar detector, and they wanted to know if the Bushnell Velocity would set it off or not.

All radar guns, including sports radar guns, can be picked up by a radar detector. It just depends on the model of radar detector vs. the model of radargun. Some radarguns, like the Sports Radar SR3600 uses the X band microwave frequencies. Other radar guns, like the Decatur Prospeed CR-1K use the K band frequencies. X band is very rarely used in Police radar guns now, and so many of the radar detectors may be phasing out the detection of X band frequencies. Radar detectors that detect X, K, and Ka band frequencies will be able to pick up all sports radar and police radar guns.

Ryan

Almost every day, I get a call from one person or another asking about specs on a radar gun. After a couple questions about Police Radar Guns and what they can do, they start to ask more and more detailed questions of a specific scenario. Don’t think we don’t know what you’re doing. While we do sell sports radar guns to the public and to some private organizations, remember that we also sell Traffic Radar Guns to Law Enforcement Agencies nationwide, and sometimes worldwide.

We do not give out advice on how to get out of your speeding ticket. While we have many experts on staff who know more about the radarguns that the people who use them, we are not lawyers. We are not electrical engineers… okay some of us are. We do not offer legal advice or counsel. It’s time to just suck it up and pay the fine, because we can’t help you. The only advice I can give you to get out of a ticket is this: STOP SPEEDING.

Ryan

I recently wrote about the SpeedTrac X Radar Gun and the selection of power cords to use in different countries. Since then, I have received many questions regarding other accessories for this radargun. In truth, the only accessories we are aware of are the power cords, tuning fork, and the carrying case.

The SpeedTrac X does have a communications port on the back of the unit next to the power port. Please note that there are NO accessories for this radar gun that plug into this port. The only way to make use of this communications port is to get creative and design your own LCD display and program this display to read any data coming from the communication port. Please do not ask me how to do this. I am not a programmer and I am not an electrical engineer.

If you want a radar gun to hook up to a display, go with the Sports Radar SR3600 Kits.

Ryan

A question that I have to answer pretty frequently is “How far does a Radargun work?” My standard response to this question is “That depends on the radar gun, the object you are tracking, and the weather conditions.” So what does weather really do to a radar gun?

Weather conditions such as humidity, fog, dust, pollution, and rain all dump particles into the atmosphere that create a “barrier” for the microwave emissions of radars. I decided to test and see what kind of “barrier” rain would produce.

In my previous tests of the Bushnell Speedster II, I was able to get a clear and accurate reading of a car at distances of up to 330 yards before I ran out of road. Today just happened to be one of the most torrential storms the Chicago area has seen all year, if not longer, so it was a good day to test the “worst conditions possible” scenario. Streets are flooding, trees are blowing around like tinker toys, and I am soaking wet standing on the side of the road with my Bushnell Radar Gun.

There were plenty of cars on the road, so the test was very quick. I discovered that I could not get a reading from a car at a distance of over 75 yards. This distance was calculated by pacing out the distance, because the rain was so heavy that my Laser Rangefinder would not pick up a reading, either. I was, however, able to clock the speed of rain. It was falling at a rate of 17mph downward, and up to 25mph in a, easterly direction.

You should have seen the look on my co-workers’ faces when I came back inside soaked.

Ryan

The Bushnell Velocity Radar Gun is available in two versions from radarguns.com, NEW and DEMO. There are very few differences between the two models, and it is mostly the packaging.

The NEW radargun comes in clear clam pack packaging and includes a black nylon carry bag that closes with a draw cord. New units come with a full two year factory warranty.

The DEMO version of the radar gun is a Bushnell factory refurbished unit. It may be a slightly used and reconditioned unit, or it may be an older version that was updated to the newer circuitry to handle both mph and kph. Either way, it functions (and looks) exactly like the NEW model, and still comes with the full two year factory warranty. The DEMO comes in a generic cardboard box that Bushnell uses for factory refurbished models of equal sizes, that is actually much more aesthetic looking than the clam pack. The DEMO does not come with the carry bag.

Ryan

I am frequently asked about radar guns traveling internationally. This is usually not an issue, considering the majority of them run on batteries. Some of the units do have A/C adapters for battery free operation, but they are mainly for 110v US use. The easiest solution to this is to use a transformer to convert to 220v with adapters for international plugs. This is fine and dandy for vacationers who intend on bringing the unit back to the US, but what about native Europeans? You can’t expect them to use a transformer every time they want to plug in their radargun.

The Speedtrac X Radar Gun has the solution. Speedtrac produces different power adapters for different regions. They make a Euro Power Supply, a US Power Supply, and a UK Power Supply for their radargun. Throw these all in with the Speedtrac Sport Radar Carrying Bag, and you’re ready to travel.


Ryan

For those of you who wish to spend a couple hours a day sitting street side with a radar gun to monitor neighborhood car speeds, there are a few essentials you don’t want to leave at home. Since a neighborhood watch cannot issue speeding tickets, you don’t need anything super fancy.

For your radar gun, I recommend the Bushnell Velocity Radar Gun. This inexpensive unit is very accurate, easy to use, and has the easiest to read LCD display of all the radarguns we sell.

You also might want a laser rangefinder in your arsenal. This will help you to determine how far away the cars are, and more specifically, where the cars are if they are too far away to see what street they turned on. Something nice and simple like the Leupold RX-I will do the trick nicely.

In my opinion, the most important item to have with you is the Brunton Widemouth Beverage Flask. These beverage containers have a great epoxy coating on the inside that prevents your libation from touching the aluminum and transferring taste. These flasks are even suitable for acidic juices and alcoholic beverages.

Now that you’re set up, you can go monitor the speeders in your neighborhood. Just don’t forget a pen and paper to record your findings.

Ryan

For those who enjoy spending time in the backcountry and still like to use electronic devices, Brunton has created thin, roll up solar cells that can charge batteries and other electronic devices. Brunton Solar Arrays are available in setups ranging from 1.8 watt all the way up to a 26 watt Folding Solar Array. Simply hook the Brunton Solar Array up to the SolarController 12 volt Battery Charge Regulator, and you have a great way to keep your car battery charged during long term storage. Also, for the for the electronic gadget lovers, you can now charge your iPOD anywhere you go. Simply hook your iPod up to the iPod Solar Charger and you’re good to go.

Ryan

For people who travel all the time, carrying street maps of every location you visit can be quite bulky and cumbersome. You also don’t need to be reading a map while driving on streets you are unfamiliar with. Enter the GPS: a fun piece of electronics that will give you street maps and turn by turn driving directions. GPS units are great for travel, but they don’t always meet the needs of someone trying to be discreet about being lost. The Garmin iQue M5 is the perfect solution.

The Garmin iQue is a PDA with a full function GPS built in. This GPS comes with Garmin’s MapSource City Select software that gives you detailed street maps of the US with audible turn by turn driving directions. The iQue M5 is also a full function PDA complete with MS Windows Mobile 2003 2nd Edition Software, 64 megabytes of memory, and an SD card slot for expansion.

The Garmin iQue M5 GPS/PDA is perfect for the traveler who uses rental cars frequently and needs to keep track of their appointments electronically. This Bluetooth enabled device easily connects to your cell phone, laptop, or other Bluetooth enabled electronic devices.

Ryan

Everyone seems to be asking the question, does a cell phone interfere with ­­­­_______? Of course, I get the question turned around pretty often. Does _______ interfere with Radar Guns? Naturally, it was only a matter of time before these two questions were combined. Do cell phones interfere with radarguns to affect my speed reading?

Of course, I have to do a little research on this to make official claims to this argument so I’ll start with the basics. The FCC tests electronic devices to see what kind of emissions and interference they produce. Pretty much any electronic gizmo on the market is licensed to be interference free to some degree. Naturally, people will always dispute what a government agency claims, so I had to conduct my own experiment.

The equipment used in my experiment includes my Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun, my Samsung SGH-P207 cell phone, and a paper airplane. I started the experiment by practicing throwing the paper airplane across the room while testing the speed with my radargun until I was consistently throwing it at 14mph. I then placed my phone (turned off) directly in the flight path of the airplane and tested my speed reading. It was 14mph – no change. I then repeated the procedure with the cell phone turned on. My radar gun still read 14mph. I repeated this 5 more times with the same results. Next, I repeated the procedure while in a call. I called my cell phone from my desk phone, kept the call active, and repeated my test. After 6 consecutive throws, my Speedster II read 14mph every time. I tried the experiment also while receiving a phone call (calling my cell from my desk) and placing the phone call (calling my desk from my cell and then throwing my cell in the flight path) with 6 throws for each mode. You’ll never guess the results… 14mph!

In conclusion: Stop looking for ways to cheat a radar gun, and drive the speed limit!

Ryan

One of the problems with Law Enforcement using Radar Guns in a neighborhood is that the officers are usually spotted before a car reaches excessive speed. While this is a good way to make people slow down, as soon as the police officer packs their radarguns away the people start to speed up again.

Some of the Chicago suburbs have started a new program. Communities like Buffalo Grove and the Illinois State Police have begun disguising their officers as construction workers and landscapers. They sit on their lawnmowers wearing orange reflective vests and zap speeders with their radar guns as the cars pass by. The undercover officers then radio ahead to the uniformed officers with the license plate number, vehicle description, and clocked speed. The cars are then pulled over and issued a ticket. This program is so effective, that 30 tickets were written in a 1 ½ hour period. Not bad for a day’s work.

See article in the Chicago Tribune

Ryan

Most Radar Guns on the market will only do one thing. They measure speed. That’s fine and dandy for professional baseball scouts, or softball coaches or Law Enforcement. So what about the automotive industry?

Police Radar Guns will measure the current speed of a car. Some models, such as the Decatur Genesis Directional Radargun will also tell you which direction the car measured is driving. If you’re in the racing industry, you know that top speed is not everything. You want to know how fast you can get to that top speed and how quickly you can bring that race car back to a screeching halt. Decatur has come up with a solution to this.

Enter the Decatur Prospeed CR-1K with its optional Speed Tracker Evaluation Software. Plug the unit into a laptop, and you can now chart acceleration, braking, and top speeds, and then display this information on graphs. This is an excellent option for drag racers and auto tuners. Don’t forget to get the Speed Tracker Communication Cables to hook the radargun up to your PC.

Ryan

Last week I blogged about the use of a radar gun as a chronograph for archery. While the models I mentioned were not practical cost wise, I failed to remember a radargun sold specifically for use as an archery chronograph.

The Sport Sensors ArrowSpeed RADARChron is designed to mount onto the standard 5/16”x24 threads of the stabilizer bar on the bow. (Sport Sensors sells an extension bar to adapt to different thread sizes.) This RADAR Chronograph is designed to measure arrow speeds anywhere from 150 to 450 feet per second. The Sports Sensors ArrowSpeed RADARChron is much smaller and lighter weight than the Decatur Prospeed I mentioned last week, and at under $100, it is just a fraction of the cost.

Ryan

I am frequently asked about the difference between the Bushnell Velocity Radar Gun and the Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun. Here’s the deal: The original Bushnell Velocity only measured MPH and not KPH. It was older technology with an out of date circuit board. The Speedster II Radargun was created as an exclusive to our parent company Optics Planet. This new unit was a major upgrade from the old Velocity. The Bushnell Speedster II Radar Gun could now measure both MPH and KPH, had much more efficient circuitry (better battery life) and a much tougher plastic shell. After the success of this new model, Bushnell decided to upgrade the Velocity Radar Gun to the same specs. So, long story made short, there is no longer any difference between the two radar guns besides the name.

Ryan