http://mylabradar.com/ (http://mylabradar.com/)
I've been on a waiting list for 6 months. I just received notice that it should ship within 30 Days. It will be interesting.
Greg
Glad for you! You have been waiting for a while. It will be interesting to see how it works out for you! 8)
I have a couple of others, but I always found them to be enough of a hassle that I rarely set them up and used them. I shoot mostly at ranges, and having to set up the screens in front of the firing line was infringing on other shooters. This one just sets off to the side on a tripod.
For the standard handgun calibers, the Lab Radar is supposed to track velocity from the barrel to about 130 yards. It stores data on a SD card, which seems like a nice feature. I hope its user friendly enough that I use it most of the time when at the range.
Greg
what if others are shooting along side of you? Can it or will pick up there bullet speed?
Quote from: Ramjet on January 17 2016 07:27:53 PM MST
what if others are shooting along side of you? Can it or will pick up there bullet speed?
From the frequently asked questions on the above site.
Will LabRdar pick up shot from other shooters?
LabRadar accuracy will not be affected by other shots being fired into your radar beam. Part of the technology built into the system allows it to determine if the shot came from very near the radar unit or if it came in from another location. Since the radar tracking is only active for a fraction of a second it is nearly impossible for you to receive a velocity from another shooter nearby. Your unit also has an adjustment in it to "turn off" most gunshots that are nearby, yet allow your shot to operate the unit. In rare cases your unit may trigger on another shooters muzzle blast. If this occurs you can easily delete that shot from your data.Greg
I can't wait to here how well it works. One nice thing is that it can calculate a bullet's ballistic coefficient, or it gives enought info so you can do the calculations.
.
Interesting, will be following this thread.
My new toy arrived Thursday, and had to work until today. I stuffed it with 6 AA batteries, took my Encore 9" 10mm barrel, and the 416 Rigby pistol just in case I needed to see if I stll had a pulse.
The LabRadar is sensitive to alignment and position relative to the barrel. It took a few rounds of PPU 180g before I got it reading the velocities. V(yards)
V(0)
1170
1132
1203
1210
1213
1239
1227
1201
V(10)
1169
1132
1176
1186
1191
1212
1200
1174
V(20)
1170
1132
1149
1159
1167
1176
1172
1150
V(30)
1170
1132
1121
1133
1143
1142
1144
1123
V(40)
0
0
0
1110
1123
1116
1124
1115
V(50)
0
0
1121
1100
0
1098
1119
1101
I then went from low power Privi stuff to Double Tap 135g. This stuff smiled some cases when shooting in the G20, and I was wondering how fast it would clock from a 9" closed breach. I couldn't get it to read at all except for a few rreadings that made no sense....
V(0)
936
924
868
I gave up after burned up half a box, I gave up...
I then grabbed the 416 Rigby and touched off a couple.... 350g Speer in front of 95g of RE17.
V(0)
2340
2343
V(10)
2315
2314
V(20)
2291
2287
V(30)
2268
2263
V(40)
2246
2240
V(50)
2224
2223
Comments follow...
Greg
First, the problem with the Double Tap was user error ;D The LabRadar has three ranges of use.. Rifle, Pistol, and Arrow.
I had it in "Pistol" for the Privi and the Double Tap. That setting has an upper limit of 1800 fps, and it would seem certain I was above that from a 9" barrel. I was expecting some issues with the user on the first trip out. I learn by being a dumb ass, rather than excessive reading and understanding.
I think I'm going to like this thing. I ran the thing on a tripod, and for bench I think I'll invent something that can set on the bench. I'm thinking of an old fry pan and a 1/4-20 bolt with a couple of nuts might make a perfect solution.
It was interesting to see the unit not record at one range and try to record a reading farther down range. The reading was all wrong, but interesting none the less.
Greg
Geeman, Thanks for your report and sharing the LabRadar data. It was my understanding that the unit would basically track the bullet from muzzle to the target. So I was thinking the Lab Radar would be that of a graph where the starting velocity with dropping velocity out to distance.
So that is why you show the yardages of 0 yards, 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, 40 yards and 50 yards, It seems to have lost a few at the longer distances. It tracked well on the PPU stuff.
I have to wonder if the DT was in the 1869 - 1936 fps range as recorded, just a guesstimation. Based on that it was out of the normal range of velocity. :-\
I'm still not an expert, but you choose 5 ranges to record in the setup menu. I choose those because I was shooting at the 50 yard range because of low use compared to the 100.
It seems like a nicely made piece of equipment. It seems I saw some graphing somewhere, but that may have been a compilation of data too. Now that I have it, I'll have to re-read what others have written and learned. In reality it wouldn't be hard to curve fit a graph.
Greg
Looking forward to you getting the best info from you new technical toy! ;D
Well, I have had this for awhile now, and this radar unit is GREAT.
For me and my use, I hated messing around in front of the bench setting up the chrony screens and interrupting the others shooting that day. Light always seemed to be an issue, as was all the wires. It certainly made the trip less enjoyable and I often would just leave the thing home, in spite of the desire to know some numbers for what I cooked up in the reloading room. Hassle is the word that came to mind.
Now I can set up while the range is hot. Everything is beside the bench. No wires, no fear of shooting the instrument, and no missing shots due to lighting issues.
On the plus side, I have read bullets down to .204 caliber. It doesn't miss shots if set up correctly and it takes a couple of minutes to get it up and running. LabRadar records the speeds as the round proceeds down range and instantly gives read outs of speeds at five ranges that you determine. All this and it stores all of that on an SD card that can be popped out and plugged into a computer and opened in Excel format. Way too cool!!!!
The bad side is it eats batteries, but it also can get its power from a USB cable. It requires a fair muzzle blast to trigger it, but attachments can be purchased for air guns, bows, and rim fire firearms.
Velocity readings from my 20 Vartarg string
V0 V10 V20 V30 V40 V50
3229 3178 3125 3074 3022 2969
3240 3188 3135 3084 3033 2981
3250 3197 3144 3093 3040 2986
3259 3207 3154 3103 3052 3000
3290 3239 3187 3135 3083 3029
Here is the data from the first shot in the string.
Time (s) Vel (fps) Dist (yd) SNR
0 3229.2 0 -
0.012021 3163.31 12.8 28.06
0.013021 3156.7 13.86 30.05
0.014021 3151.69 14.91 27.36
0.015021 3147.22 15.96 25.39
0.016021 3142.51 17.01 23.85
0.017021 3135.78 18.05 24.39
0.018021 3129.61 19.1 23.11
0.019021 3127.07 20.14 18.13
0.020021 3120.25 21.18 17.72
0.021021 3112.61 22.22 19.3
0.022021 3105.88 23.26 21.38
0.023021 3106.13 24.29 20.36
0.024021 3093.67 25.32 22.59
0.025021 3092.16 26.36 18.59
0.026021 3085.75 27.38 22.29
0.027021 3081.85 28.41 18.32
0.028021 3076.01 29.44 21.01
0.029021 3070.45 30.46 19.95
0.030021 3065.7 31.49 16.43
0.031021 3060.63 32.51 14.44
0.032021 3057.54 33.53 14.4
0.033021 3050.92 34.54 13.95
0.034021 3046.27 35.56 13.91
0.035021 3039.14 36.58 13.73
0.036021 3034.53 37.59 15.18
0.037021 3028.52 38.6 19.1
0.038021 3025.77 39.61 15.29
0.039021 3013.3 40.61 17.92
0.040021 3014.84 41.62 16.96
0.041021 3008.52 42.62 14.88
0.042021 3001.51 43.62 17.8
0.043021 2998.13 44.62 18.56
0.044021 2992.81 45.62 13.36
0.046021 2980.67 47.61 12.22
0.047021 2977.43 48.61 11.45
0.048021 2971.06 49.6 10.17
I'm love'n this toy!!!
Greg
Geeman, Glad to see you using, working with and appreciating the results of the Lab Radar unit. 8) I thought they were cool when I first read about them. I may just invest in one someday, as the data yield supersedes the regular CHRONY.
Who knows what the future holds for these units, as they maybe even more compact and efficient. :D
Quote from: 10-7 leo on May 24 2016 03:50:33 AM MDT
Geeman have you tested your labradar using any rifles with muzzle devices on them? I've done some testing with mine. So far, it has worked with pistols and rifles but I am having problems with my AR pistol that has a flash hider on it. I am getting the low readings like you experienced in one string you posted.
I have fired with a 416 Rigby in an Encore pistol that has a brake on it, and it read it without a problem. If you have a brake, try moving the muzzle 6-12 inches ahead of the Labradar.
There are three velocity ranges that they call arrow (66-738fps), pistol (246-1722fps), and rifle (982-3900fps). If you are in the wrong range you will get bad readings or errors. If you have a small caliber pushing small slugs at 4000+ fps , LabRadar won't work.
The final thing I heard about issues was bullet related. The radar needs a flat bullet base to reflect the microwaves back to the unit. Concave bases don't work well and give bad readings. Some FMJ bullets have bullet bases shaped like this and I've heard they cause issues.
Greg
Quote from: The_Shadow on May 23 2016 07:33:52 AM MDT
Who knows what the future holds for these units, as they maybe even more compact and efficient. :D
Oh yes. This is Gen 1 as far as consumer units, and it would seem certain technology will improve. Could it be built onto a rifle scope in the future? This unit is ok as far as ease of use, but you had better have the manual present for the first range trips. I'm sure there will be improvements.
Greg
I've had this for awhile now, and I'm a believer.
The unit sets off to the side, I usually set it a foot off the side of the barrel. I can set it up on a hot range, nothing goes down range. Nothing to shoot accidentally. Early on, I experienced some difficulty with alignment of the unit, but half a MickieDee soda straw sitting in a v-notch makes the perfect peep sight. Now its first time every time. It is super quick to get up and running.
I've run it with high velocity .204 rounds, up to 416 Rigby. It does all centerfire in my use without issues. Changing strings is a snap. You can delete a shot in real time, or later when you are digesting the data. One word of warning, when you delete it, its gone. No changing your mind.
Speed wise I think the time between shots may need to be slightly longer than a unit like an F1, but I believe its simply write time and calculating velocities back to the barrel. There is a lot of data recorded for each and every shot. There is enough that to get the full measure, you need to use an SD card. A second or so seems to be enough time between shots, but I haven't pressed that limit.
The SD card can be removed from the unit and popped into the computer and data can be opened in excel format. If there is anything questionable about a shot, it is possible to drill down and examine the data as the projectile proceeds down range, complete with signal to noise ratio. Don't like the shot data, delete that shot in the unit and it recalculates the statistical information. It is a geek's paradise.
I find myself using it every time out. Its just so easy to get it set up. I rarely set up a conventional chrony because the set-up/take-down hassle with the wires and alignment issues. Change the target with the old way, the screen alignment also had to be modified, and the range had to go cold to accomplish that. That operation with the LabRadar takes about two seconds and is done without bother to fellow shooters.
The problems I've heard of are picking up .223 FMJ ammo because there isn't a flat surface to reflect the radar back, and the power requirements make short use of the AA batteries needed for the unit. I usually use a small car jump pack to power with a USB cable, which works like a charm. I still have the original set of batteries and they are still good to go.
The last problem is a problem. As it ships, the unit won't trigger without a measure of muzzle blast. Standard velocity .22LR fired out of 1 16-1/4" barrel won't trigger it. A pellet gun won't trigger it. If you want to read those projectiles, its best to get a microphone attachment which is supposed to make the unit function, even with an arrow. I don't have that yet, but plan on ordering it.
I'm certainly am the happy customer so far.
Greg
Thanks for posting up the info. My Lab Radar arrived last week and I took it out twice this last weekend. Can't be said enough, this thing chews thru batteries! Haven't seen it mentioned but if you have RC vehicle lipo batteries lying around you can pick up a Lipo to USB adapter for under $20 on ebay and power the unit that way. My small 3S 1800MAH lipo ran the unit for about 45 minutes. I have a pair of hardcase 2S 5200mah lipos on the way (roughly $40 on ebay). Cell count doesn't matter as the adapter drops the voltage to 5V so go for capacity if you go this route. My goal is to get 3 hours of testing in the field. That would get me from sunup to about 9am when the temps get close to 100 in the desert.
I think I will just stick with my F1. Same 9v battery for over a year now and still going! Only misses a shot if no clouds and failure to put the sky screens on. Takes about 10 minutes to totally set it up!
Quote from: 10-7 leo on July 05 2016 09:10:57 PM MDT
Quote from: Azrckcrawler on July 05 2016 07:56:11 AM MDT
Thanks for posting up the info. My Lab Radar arrived last week and I took it out twice this last weekend. Can't be said enough, this thing chews thru batteries! Haven't seen it mentioned but if you have RC vehicle lipo batteries lying around you can pick up a Lipo to USB adapter for under $20 on ebay and power the unit that way. My small 3S 1800MAH lipo ran the unit for about 45 minutes. I have a pair of hardcase 2S 5200mah lipos on the way (roughly $40 on ebay). Cell count doesn't matter as the adapter drops the voltage to 5V so go for capacity if you go this route. My goal is to get 3 hours of testing in the field. That would get me from sunup to about 9am when the temps get close to 100 in the desert.
I've been using the Duracell rechargeables, 2500mAh. I think since I last charged them I have had it on and running for about 5-6 hours now.
My short runtime may have not been battery related. Took the chrono out this morning and about 5 min in it just shut off. I could get it to come back on and would arm it only to have it fail to read the first shot, then a long pause on the second shot followed by a shutdown. Did this with several of the battery packs I brought along. I started messing with the settings and finally discovered that if I lowered the arm time to 20 seconds it functioned perfectly. I had the arm time set up around 200 seconds figuring that gave me plenty of time to get thru a string. Wondering if this was too much draw on the batteries making the unit think they were getting low so it would save the file and shutdown?