Stalker VS. Busnell

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All I come up with is maybe.




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No.
Firstly, the Bushnells and Stalker guns use the same radar frequency-- K band at 24GHz. Second, the speed at which the radar waves move is the same (though air) as all other electromagnetic radiation, including light, TV and radio signals, etc. It takes about 1 nanosecond (1 billionth of a second) for a radar wave to travel a foot. So the round trip from the gun to the ball and back to the receiver in the gun should take perhaps 0.3 microseconds. A pitched ball is moving at around 100-130 feet per second, so it will move about 0.0005 inches during that round trip.

Radar guns do need circuitry to detect that the ball has been pitched and trigger a reading, while not triggering from random noise, or from a pitcher's throwing motion. Perhaps that leads to some variation in when the ball is picked up, but I think that is actually a small effect.

Mostly the issue with a Bushnells gun is the range over which it can work-- said to be 75 feet. The reality is that it is routinely trying to process borderline weak signals, and ends up with a lot of error.

The problem is the range and the cosine angle. You have to be very close to get it to work and if you get that close it is very easy to be relatively far off on the cosine angle.

The simple answer is that the Bushnell simply isn't worth the money.

"Bushnell isn't worth the money"

hmmm, it's only $100 and it reads 3 mph slower. So, for $600 I can add 3 to each reading.

I've used one for a long time. It's good for youth ball, catching son, bat speed measurements, etc. but not so good for measuring game pitching in HS and beyond where home plate is far from the stands.

Only buy the version that displays min and max reading.

quote:

Originally posted by SultanofSwat:
"Bushnell isn't worth the money"

hmmm, it's only $100 and it reads 3 mph slower. So, for $600 I can add 3 to each reading.

Don't most parents do that anyway. Why waste the money for a radar gun anyway, just guess.

quote:

Originally posted by Homerun04:

Don't most parents do that anyway. Why waste the money for a radar gun anyway, just guess.

That's funny, but true. However, most Dads add 7 mph.

I have used the Bushnell many times and its just plain fustrating. The erratic readings drive me crazy. I couldn't justify the cost of the Stalker or Jugs gun, so I took a chance on the Tracer from Sports Radar for about $160. I gets good readings over 90% of the time, plus I get them from the stands behind home plate at college games (about 75 feet from home plate). If your looking for an affordable gun, I recommend the Tracer.

I radared a big 13 year old kid the other day that others said thru 83 MPH. My gun had him at 64!

He has two dads?

This is a slightly different comparison, but I used a Bushnell scope on my hunting rifle for years and it was functional. For the last ten years I have used a Leopold scope and it makes you appreciate the difference in something that is truly finely crafted and something that is just functional. I think radar guns are the same. I own a Stalker Sport and whenever I am next to someone with a Bushnell or any of the much more cost friendly radar guns I see that you truly get what you pay for. A rifle and a radar gun are about being exact not about adjusting for being off target in the field or on the field. Just guessing that you need to subtract/add 3 or 4 MPH puts you right back in the realm of not knowing the right number at all with any certainty.

I was able to find a jugs gun used for $400 and it works fine in the few times I've used it. It will pick up a car speed from at least several hundred yards away, and seems accurate based on its tuning fork calibrator and using my own car speedometer.

My guess is that if you get a used one, you can sell it within about 3 years for maybe 85% of what you paid for it, so the real cost of mine would be about $60 for several years of light use. Of course, there is the risk of buying used.

I also purchased a used Stalker for $700 a couple of years ago and plan on selling it in another year once my son heads off to college. I am pretty sure I can get $700 so the only cost is the $100 I paid to get it calibrated and the cost of the investment for 3-4 years.