Radar Gun Lighting Conditions

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Eyesonyou, most of what you said is true but for a few exceptions. I have 2 guns (Stalker Sport and Stalker Pro), a degree in physics and a LHP son who was a first round draft pick. I've used the guns alot in other words, probably on about 300 or so different pitchers. It's true that the Stalker is usually more accurate than a Jugs. However it is because of internal calibration and not the relative Target Acquisition Time (TAT)that a gun intrinsically possesses. TAT is the time it takes for a gun to lock on to it's target. The Stalker Pro will pick up the ball about 7 inches from where it is released as opposed to the Jugs which picks it up at about 7 feet. Since the highest velocity the ball achieves is at the time of release and given the fact that the ball decelerates at about 1 mph for every 7 to 8 feet you would think that the Stalker would usually give a higher (and more accurate) reading because of it's intrinsically faster TAT. If a Jugs gun is properly calibrated and being used properly then it should actually give a reading about 1 mph slower than a Pro because of it's slower TAT. However many of the JUGS I have seen (and used) give a higher velocity readout because it's timing calibration doesn't seem to be as sophisticated as the Stalker. When this occurs the Stalker readings will almost invariably be more accurate. If you see a Decatur Ragun being used, with its TAT taking up to 30-50 feet to respond, don't even bother using those figures. With any gun it's important to get as close to 0 degrees angle as possible to get a reading. That means you have to be behind the catcher to be completely accurate. At lower velocities it doesn't make much difference but once you get up to around 90 mph you'll see a discernible difference depending on how far from 0 the angle is. A 5 degree angle gives a 0.4% error, a 10 degree angle gives a 1.5% error, a 15 degree angle gives a 3.4% error and 30 degree angle 13.4%. These errors allserve to reduce the readout from the true velocity. If you know the angle you are reading from and have a log calculator you can divide the readout by the cosine of the angle. Thus a 90 mph pitch with a 10 degree angle is actually 91.4 mph (the Pro gives readings to 0.1 mph). All that being said, as you progress through the scouting ranks from rookie scout to senior scout to cross-checker to area supervisor to scouting director the emphasis on velocity seems to decrease. Location, movement, command, mound presence all become much more important. The Stalker also has the advantage of giving plate speed, which for a fastball is about 7-8 mph less than release speed and for a good changeup as much as 10-12 mph less than release speed. Somtimes scouts want this info also. And its true that not all scouts are equally skilled with the radar guns. I've shown a few myself how to use it to it's full capabilities.