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<blockquote data-quote="Pdvdh" data-source="post: 1375094" data-attributes="member: 4191"><p>The largest problem in the use of the LabRadar is: The unit can not be remotely armed (yet). According to distributor, this option will become available in December... for Android phone/tablet owners, using a Bluetooth App that is in the works.</p><p></p><p><u>So here's the story</u>, from my experience and perspective: </p><p>The Doppler radar must be "armed" before it can record bullet velocity. The unit "arm" time can be programmed to any length of time desired. <strong>However</strong>, the longer the unit is programmed to remain in the "armed" mode, the faster the battery power is consumed. When the unit is armed, the batteries are in power drain mode.</p><p><u>And here's the issue</u>:</p><p>In order to manually "arm" the unit, the user must be able to reach the unit with a finger and push an arm button two times. When I'm set up shooting to develop and collect reloading data, I'm firing in a prone position - laying on the ground. The unit is located near the muzzle. If you shoot with a muzzle brake, the unit is located just behind the brake so the gas blow-back doesn't tear it apart. If shooting without a muzzle brake, the unit is positioned at or slightly forward of the muzzle. Either location is too far forward of arm's length. This means I have to relocate from my prepared firing position in order to reach the "arm" button on the unit. This is a real pain in the ***. I don't know about you, but when I'm shooting ladders or otherwise testing ammo precision, it takes me a while to get settled in and feeling good about my hold before touching off the chambered round. </p><p>So the way this works is you manually "arm" the unit by pressing the "arm" button twice, prior to firing the first shot. After arming the unit, I now jhave less than 80 seconds remaining to get situated behind my rifle, draw a bead on my POA, and squeeze the trigger. On my first outing, I programmed the unit to remain armed for 80 seconds after a shot was fired. By the time I fired one round and was prepared to fire a second round, the 80 seconds of time had commonly elapsed. Which meant I had to leave my firing position again in order to push the arm button two more times, re-position behind the rifle again, and then fire the shot within what remained of the 80 seconds. </p><p>Having the unit programmed to remain armed for 80 seconds after each shot was fired, I was able to shoot 14 rounds before the 6AA batteries were lifeless. So you can only imagine how long the batteries would last if you pre-programmed the unit to remain armed for 120 seconds or 180 seconds. Which isn't an unreasonable length of time between shots for me when I'm in the midst of testing the precision of my loaded ammunition. Let alone waiting for the barrel to cool down between shots fired, or studying the wind prior to shooting.</p><p></p><p><u>Solutions</u>: The only two I can think of:</p><p>1) You either need an automotive battery to supply the power draw of a longer pre-programmed "arm" time or,</p><p>2) The unit needs to be able to be "armed" remotely - from my shooting position behind my rifles.</p><p></p><p>I e-mailed the distributor about this concern after reading I read the owner's manual, and prior to my first use of the unit. I knew right away this was going to be a major inconvenience in my use of the LabRadar. The distributor responded promptly and stated: "<em>We will be coming out with a Bluetooth App for Android and Apple phones/tablets soon, where you will be able to arm the device remotely since sometimes it is out of reach from the shooting position. We expect the Android version to be out in December, with Apple version following soon after.</em>"</p><p></p><p>So the good news is, the need has been identified, and the FIX is in the making. The bad part is, I use a Windows Phone, which means the Android and Apple App won't function using my smart phone. I'll have to figure out a work around. Will likely need to purchase a used Android/Apple phone or tablet, in order to utilize this Bluetooth App. But that can and will be done. <strong>Because I need to be able to "arm" the unit from my shooting position.</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pdvdh, post: 1375094, member: 4191"] The largest problem in the use of the LabRadar is: The unit can not be remotely armed (yet). According to distributor, this option will become available in December... for Android phone/tablet owners, using a Bluetooth App that is in the works. [U]So here's the story[/U], from my experience and perspective: The Doppler radar must be "armed" before it can record bullet velocity. The unit "arm" time can be programmed to any length of time desired. [B]However[/B], the longer the unit is programmed to remain in the "armed" mode, the faster the battery power is consumed. When the unit is armed, the batteries are in power drain mode. [U]And here's the issue[/U]: In order to manually "arm" the unit, the user must be able to reach the unit with a finger and push an arm button two times. When I'm set up shooting to develop and collect reloading data, I'm firing in a prone position - laying on the ground. The unit is located near the muzzle. If you shoot with a muzzle brake, the unit is located just behind the brake so the gas blow-back doesn't tear it apart. If shooting without a muzzle brake, the unit is positioned at or slightly forward of the muzzle. Either location is too far forward of arm's length. This means I have to relocate from my prepared firing position in order to reach the "arm" button on the unit. This is a real pain in the ***. I don't know about you, but when I'm shooting ladders or otherwise testing ammo precision, it takes me a while to get settled in and feeling good about my hold before touching off the chambered round. So the way this works is you manually "arm" the unit by pressing the "arm" button twice, prior to firing the first shot. After arming the unit, I now jhave less than 80 seconds remaining to get situated behind my rifle, draw a bead on my POA, and squeeze the trigger. On my first outing, I programmed the unit to remain armed for 80 seconds after a shot was fired. By the time I fired one round and was prepared to fire a second round, the 80 seconds of time had commonly elapsed. Which meant I had to leave my firing position again in order to push the arm button two more times, re-position behind the rifle again, and then fire the shot within what remained of the 80 seconds. Having the unit programmed to remain armed for 80 seconds after each shot was fired, I was able to shoot 14 rounds before the 6AA batteries were lifeless. So you can only imagine how long the batteries would last if you pre-programmed the unit to remain armed for 120 seconds or 180 seconds. Which isn't an unreasonable length of time between shots for me when I'm in the midst of testing the precision of my loaded ammunition. Let alone waiting for the barrel to cool down between shots fired, or studying the wind prior to shooting. [U]Solutions[/U]: The only two I can think of: 1) You either need an automotive battery to supply the power draw of a longer pre-programmed "arm" time or, 2) The unit needs to be able to be "armed" remotely - from my shooting position behind my rifles. I e-mailed the distributor about this concern after reading I read the owner's manual, and prior to my first use of the unit. I knew right away this was going to be a major inconvenience in my use of the LabRadar. The distributor responded promptly and stated: "[I]We will be coming out with a Bluetooth App for Android and Apple phones/tablets soon, where you will be able to arm the device remotely since sometimes it is out of reach from the shooting position. We expect the Android version to be out in December, with Apple version following soon after.[/I]" So the good news is, the need has been identified, and the FIX is in the making. The bad part is, I use a Windows Phone, which means the Android and Apple App won't function using my smart phone. I'll have to figure out a work around. Will likely need to purchase a used Android/Apple phone or tablet, in order to utilize this Bluetooth App. But that can and will be done. [B]Because I need to be able to "arm" the unit from my shooting position.[/B] [/QUOTE]
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