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Reply to "Caution on Speedtrac and Bushnell radar"

I have a Bushnell and haven't used it for a couple years for several reasons:

1) On the varsity HS team, my son would kill me if he saw me pull out a radar gun during a game ... it crosses a line of too much parental involvement in what's happening on the field, and HS coaches in general are more sensitive about that. If the coach wants to know his pitcher's velocity, he pulls out the team Jugs and has one of the assistants get a reading. If my son wants to know his velocity, he asks the coach. Not to mention that I support the HS coaching staff's focus on good mechanics, good ball movement, and good location ... a radar gun sometimes encourages a player to focus too much on juicing it up.

2) I have plenty of opportunities throughout the year to get an unobtrusive reference check on his velocity just by politely peering over the shoulder of scouts or asking at things like showcases, playoffs, tournaments, etc., where they are using 'real' radar guns. Plus the HS team has their own Jugs on a tripod that they use with a big LCD screen for the first 4-5 games of the season.

3) I'd much rather spend my time lugging around my digital camera and foot-long lens to take lots of team pictures and just enjoy the game.

4) The Bushnell is pretty unreliable, particularly at 60'6" thru a fence, so really only marginally useful in the back yard. I'd almost have to stand right behind the catcher & ump to get a good reading ... see (1) above. It also requires fully charged batteries to give any type of accurate reading. So, given (2) above, there's really no justification for investing in a 'real' radar gun when I can just look at other people's.

To be honest, I feel I wasted my money on the Bushnell ... it's not very good, and I really don't need it that much. Of course, if you are investing in a Stalker or Jugs "for the team" to be used with/for the coaches benefit and approval, that's another thing altogether. That's a great idea ...
Last edited by pbonesteele
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