Bulletseeker Mach 4 doppler chrono

What I'm finding with the chronos, particularly the radar chronos, is none are 100% reliable. I've had a Magnetospeed and a Labradar in the past, I currently have a Bulletseeker and an AndiScan. Haven't had any that worked all the time or that picked up every shot without fail. My go to at this point is the AndiScan, all things considered. It's given me a good combination of ease of use and consistency. Just my 2 cents.
My MSv2 has been the most reliable, and never given me a single issue. Once I learned that I needed to use a special setting for .22LR, I haven't had any issues since. It's never missed a shot, and never gave any crazy readings. It's just super inconvenient compared to the BSm4, which is why I bought one of those. Plus, it's not attached to the barrel or suppressor causing POI shift or harmonic affect.
 
Well... I killed the battery again last night, and I'm charging it now. I'll test it this evening outside to see if it works.

Does it pickup subsonic suppressed .22 pistols and subsonic suppressed .300 BLK just fine? Just wondering, as I can shoot those outside here into the berm and not bother anyone nearby, but I don't like to shoot supersonic suppressed unless I'm killing a snake or something, because I have a lot of older folks nearby, and I don't want to scare them. But subsonics sound like a Passlode framing nailer, so it's a bit more benign and less obvious what it is.
Well, is it working or bigger hammer time?
 
What I'm finding with the chronos, particularly the radar chronos, is none are 100% reliable. I've had a Magnetospeed and a Labradar in the past, I currently have a Bulletseeker and an AndiScan. Haven't had any that worked all the time or that picked up every shot without fail. My go to at this point is the AndiScan, all things considered. It's given me a good combination of ease of use and consistency. Just my 2 cents.
Agree that none are 100% reliable buy both my MS and Labradar are are darn close. Can't remember the last time I did not get a reading on either. Especially since I starting using the DIY trigger for the Labradar that you can buy or build yourself for a few bucks.
 
Life got in the way, so I wasn't able to load ammo yesterday and go the range today, but I loaded up some this evening, for tomorrow. We're off for that stupid no-father's day holiday. I won't complain, I'll take a paid day off because a bunch of welfare recipients want to feel special.
 
Quick question on the BS , I just got one , the manual is not clear on charging it so I plugged in the charger cable - no indicator that it’s charging, fiddled around and discovered that turning the BS on , will give me the red led - do an hour or so later / the red led turned off , I connected the app to it batteries @ 100% , is that normal? Turn it on to charge?
 
Well... It started raining here today....So I doubt i'll be able to go to the range to test this thing out. Can't win for losing this week. Looks like next weekend will be the soonest I'll be able to go test it. 🤦🏼
 
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It would be nice if the developer could provide some parameters on best spacing and distance from the muzzle. I mounted mine to the area419 picrail arca adapter. This allows me to place it on the built in arca of my MPA and XLR chassis'. Sometimes I put them on the MPA spigot. This almost always works with my 419 muzzle brakes and Thunderbeast Ultra7. However, getting readings around the fatter Dominus is 50/50 and if it does it gets very few readings. It will also not read around the 338 Ultra. I also have a Seekins AR with only a pic rail at 6 o'clock. I put a rail that is at a 45 at the 1:30 spot and with the factory clamp to this rail I get very consistent readings with my 6 ARC around an ultra7. I have had issues with a new 6 Creed in an MPA even when I took the 338 Ultra off. I need another adapter to go down to an Ultra7. Given that I fiddled with putting it on a tripod, and I found that if I have the thing literally an inch under the suppressor and a couple inches behind the muzzle then I got consistent readings. If I placed it directly to the side and same height aimed at target, nada. Given these observations, alignment is paramount and it's not very forgiving in my opinion.

Onto the new app. It's fine, but I haven't seen where you can reference SD/ES if you open the app after a session and want to review data. Just seeing avg velocity, max and energy calcs in the statistics drop down....so I don't know.

It's great, when it's good, and frustrating when it's not.
 
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It would be nice if the developer could provide some parameters on best spacing and distance from the muzzle. I mounted mine to the area419 picrail arca adapter. This allows me to place it on the built in arca of my MPA and XLR chassis'. Sometimes I put them on the MPA spigot. This almost always works with my 419 muzzle brakes and Thunderbeast Ultra7. However, getting readings around the fatter Dominus is 50/50 and if it does it gets very few readings. It will also not read around the 338 Ultra. I also have a Seekins AR with only a pic rail at 6 o'clock. I put a rail that is at a 45 at the 1:30 spot and with the factory clamp to this rail I get very consistent readings with my 6 ARC around an ultra7. I have had issues with a new 6 Creed in an MPA even when I took the 338 Ultra off. I need another adapter to go down to an Ultra7. Given that I fiddled with putting it on a tripod, and I found that if I have the thing literally an inch under the suppressor and a couple inches behind the muzzle then I got consistent readings. If I placed it directly to the side and same height aimed at target, nada. Given these observations, alignment is paramount and it's not very forgiving in my opinion.

Onto the new app. It's fine, but I haven't seen where you can reference SD/ES if you open the app after a session and want to review data. Just seeing avg velocity, max and energy calcs in the statistics drop down....so I don't know.

It's great, when it's good, and frustrating when it's not.
I believe there was a reference somewhere to a 20 degree cone that you want the bullet to traverse.
 
Well, too bad I'm reading this only now, but not before i purchased one. I got the green light of death at very first use. Connected fine to my iPhone and then green light and frozen. Going back to MidwayUSA, anyone has a cheap Labradar :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: ?
 
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Mine has been giving me fits with a 50 BMG, I moved this thing all over the place, close to the muzzle, right below the exit hole in the brake, 1/2 back to the stock, back to the stock, just behind the brake, all with and without the parabolic attachment. I even tried it on a modified MK machining Magneto speed mount which put it off to the side a little, no love. The final confirmation was my buddy got his 416 barrel and shot it with his BS, and tried various locations, he tried off to the side with a tripod, again no love. Bottom line I suspect the firmware just flat does not pick up man size projectiles!
 
I’m on my 2nd unit, and probably going to send it back for a full refund this time. Had it on from the time I got to the range, to when I left. It read 1 unsuppressed shot from my .308 Win all day at the range yesterday, and nothing else again. Nothing suppressed, nothing else unsuppressed. I don’t know if it’s just picky, or if I keep getting defective units? But something ain’t jihawing between the unit and my phone. My phone bluetooth’s fine to everything else, so I’m leaning towards the unit or the app. 🙄🙄🙄
 
Are you keeping the app open on your phone when you shoot? I've found it will not read anything if the app is not up on your phone. If you take a phone call or check a text and don't go back to the app it won't read a thing.
 
Are you keeping the app open on your phone when you shoot? I've found it will not read anything if the app is not up on your phone. If you take a phone call or check a text and don't go back to the app it won't read a thing.
Yes, of course I'm keeping the app running and open on my phone, and even disconnecting and reconnecting the unit to try to unfreeze the fucker so it will read SOMETHING....ANYTHING! At this point I'd be happy to see it pickup a mosquito flying by.

This frozen nothingness is so damn irritating and the owner doesn't seem too keen on helping anyone here or answering his DM's. 🤬
 
I appreciate you guys updating and giving so much info on this thing. It obviously isn't ready for prime time. That new one that came out looks to be the best right now though the software/app seems to have some programming that could be better. It works, and seems to work every single time.
 
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Does anyone know what the colors of each shot indicate?
Screenshot_20230715_102444.jpg
 
So as things stand now, the old bullet seekers can be traded in for improved SpeedTracker mach4 free of charge , product kinks should have been ironed out in SpeedTracker, and the new updated app is up to improve the user experience.

Unfortunately, prices also went up so the best deal was the early birds that now get to trade in old Bullet trackers and get new and improved units in return.

I myself am also sending my very early Bullet Seeker in for replacement even though i haven't had issues except for sigle freeze up till the battery runs out.

Klara is still doing the after-sales.

I am making some accessories for the speed tracker to extend the utility, will post once i test them on the new unit.

* am also a Speed tracker distributor so might not be unbiased:rolleyes:

I see now in US they are available even trough Midway USA
Who do I contact to trade in my old non-working bullet seeker?
 
I know at this point it’s an unpopular opinion but I’ve had 2 units and both have been great. First one was fine, never had connection problems but was eligible for an upgrade. Did the upgrade and the new unit is also working great, new app is way more user friendly and this new unit seems less picky about positioning and picking up readings. Overall I’m very happy I got it and it’s super convenient to have it always in my match pack ready to go at a moments notice.

Only negative thing I can speak of is when I reached out to get the upgrade, it took a long time to get an acknowledgement from the guy in Australia and get him yo send a new unit out. But klara was awesome and quick to respond.
 
@FuhQ, if you havn't yet, try writing to their support e-mail address: [email protected] They responded fast in my case. Not likely that it will fix my problem (my unit is bricked completely and waiting for the battery to die out), but just maybe, it might show them that there is more issues with it than they anticipated. It's always good to hammer the source.
Best of luck with your unit.
 
Been dealign with moving an entire house, and putting it in storage, and then getting it ready to put on the market. But I do need some "group therapy", and I've been stressed as hell lately, so I'll definitely be hitting the range this weekend to test this stupid thing again, to see if it wants to work now? If not, I will be contacting Midway for a refund.
 
So I've tested the speed tracker yesterday at the range. Initially I had the problem with connectivity and the device powering down. I left it to discharge the battery by itself (took about 9 hours of continuous stand by). After that I plugged it in for charging, after a while I tired to connect it and it did. From that point everything seems to work correctly for now as far as connectivity works.
At range yesterday I tried a couple of settings. ( I run a 24" barreled Tikka T3X in 6,5 Creedmoor and a KRG Whiskey-3 chassis + a Ultradyne Apollo muzzle break) I could not attache it to the bottom as I do not have an adapter for the ARCA rail yet so I connected the unit to the side with and without the swing arm attachement. The attachment was a no go for my setup, did not read anything. Monted it on the side (so all the gasses from teh muzzle break went straigth a the device). I shot 2 types of bullets: Lapua Scenar-L 136gn and Hornady ELD-M 140gn.
* It read the Hornady's without any issues, all of them, one by one.
* Id had issues with reading the speeds for the Lapua Scenar-L's. Like 1 out of 4.
After shooting all the test rounds I did found out that the parabolic cone moved a bit on the device, after mounting it again correctly it read also the Scenar-L's one by one. for the last 4-shot series with no issues with around of 55 detections per shot (one of them was only 17 detections).
It seems that it is critical to have the parabolic cone place very firmly on the device. Because the rifle is yanked 2-ice (recoil (<-) + muzzle break (->)), the speedtracker gets bashed 2-ice per shot so the cone mount is not firm enough to survive it in one place, this makes the device to not function properly.

So for this device there are a couple of things that need to be take into consideration:
1. Only use the new application -> "Speed tracker mach 4" (NOT the old one - "Bulletseeker mach 4") - Using the old one might be the reason, my device bricked. (It's just a theory, have not tested it empirically tho)
2. If your device bricked and does not want to power off -> wait for the battery to die down, charge it again and try connecting it again.
3. If the device does not read your bullet speeds (all or partially) - change it's position on the gun, use the parabolic cone. Remember to moun the cone firmly and if it has issue reading, check the cone again. -> the cone being mounted as much as possible to the back of the device is critical for it to work as a funnel and not lose the waives between the cone and the device. The tiny screw is not enough fro it to work.

If you encounter any of those issues, report them back to the company: [email protected] so that the teams knows of them and can fix it for new versions. (like: hard reset button and more secure parabolic cone mounting mechanism). It does need refinement still but the direction is great.

If this does not help, contact them for a unit exchange (or refund if you so prefer)

Good luck with all your devices! :)
 
So, I finally made it to the range today... Over the last few weeks, I killed the battery in my BSm4, and let it stay dead for a few days. I charged it fully, updated the App with the newest version (there was a recent update last week), and then went to the range today. At first, it didn't read anything (suppressed). But then I removed the cans, and it immediately started reading velocities on my 5R .308 with just the KeyMo muzzle brake. It read all of the shots, and the shots on my .260 Rem (unsuppressed), and both of the old Rugers (no muzzle brakes, unsuppressed) without issue. I tried placing it EVERYWHERE to get it to pickup with the cans, but it wouldn't pickup a single suppressed shot (with or without the parabolic cone). 🤦🏼

So, all-in-all, when it works, I DO like the unit. But I am not a fan of the fact I paid $1,100 for a doppler unit that won't detect bullets from a suppressed firearm. That was one of the main reasons I bought it. I give it a 6/10... If it worked with my suppressors, then I would rate it much higher. Maybe they'll update the unit to work with suppressors, and hook us all up with an updated unit when they do.
 
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So, I finally made it to the range today... Over the last few weeks, I killed the battery in my BSm4, and let it stay dead for a few days. I charged it fully, updated the App with the newest version (there was a recent update last week), and then went to the range today. At first, it didn't read anything (suppressed). But then I removed the cans, and it immediately started reading velocities on my 5R .308 with just the KeyMo muzzle brake. It read all of the shots, and the shots on my .260 Rem (unsuppressed), and both of the old Rugers (no muzzle brakes, unsuppressed) without issue. I tried placing it EVERYWHERE to get it to pickup with the cans, but it wouldn't pickup a single suppressed shot (with or without the parabolic cone). 🤦🏼

So, all-in-all, when it works, I DO like the unit. But I am not a fan of the fact I paid $1,100 for a doppler unit that won't detect bullets from a suppressed firearm. That was one of the main reasons I bought it. I give it a 6/10... If it worked with my suppressors, then I would rate it much higher. Maybe they'll update the unit to work with suppressors, and hook us all up with an updated unit when they do.
Hmm, interesting, it didn't work even if you put the speed tracker on the suppressor directly? I wonder why, as this should be the best option. I need to try putting my unit on the barrel directly under the muzzle break.
 
Hmm, interesting, it didn't work even if you put the speed tracker on the suppressor directly? I wonder why, as this should be the best option. I need to try putting my unit on the barrel directly under the muzzle break.
I had it tripod mounted, but tried it in every location possible. Even right up beside it (as close as of it was mounted to it) at the end of the suppressor, and it still didn’t read.

The location I got it to read was right beside the barrel (maybe 1” away), and near where the stock ends, so, depending on barrel length, anywhere from 5” to 12” behind the muzzle. I was getting 190-200+ hits per shot in that location. Seemed to work very well on the tripod, which was nice not having to remove it off of a gun each time, just swap the guns on the bench, select which shot group I wanted to continue testing, etc…

I just wish it read suppressed…Which is probably why I’ll buy an AndiScan Mini 2 when they come back in stock. Those are proving to work suppressed. Unless the Bulletseeker owner fixes the issues, and replaces our units with new ones once they fix the suppressor no read issue.
 
I had it tripod mounted, but tried it in every location possible. Even right up beside it (as close as of it was mounted to it) at the end of the suppressor, and it still didn’t read.

The location I got it to read was right beside the barrel (maybe 1” away), and near where the stock ends, so, depending on barrel length, anywhere from 5” to 12” behind the muzzle. I was getting 190-200+ hits per shot in that location. Seemed to work very well on the tripod, which was nice not having to remove it off of a gun each time, just swap the guns on the bench, select which shot group I wanted to continue testing, etc…

I just wish it read suppressed…Which is probably why I’ll buy an AndiScan Mini 2 when they come back in stock. Those are proving to work suppressed. Unless the Bulletseeker owner fixes the issues, and replaces our units with new ones once they fix the suppressor no read issue.
Given they way Bulletseeker works suppressor no read is just a question of positioning the unit , as the suppressor body crates shade to the radar behind it . I dont think Andy scan is any better in that respect maybe the mounting point is just higher out of suppressor shade.

Note these radars are allways on once you start so its not like suppresor changes anything with regards to picking the shots, its just a physical obstruction to the radar that might prevent the radar to have bullet in its FOV within its effective range.
 
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After reading thru this thread, I seem to have the same opinion on the Bulletseeker as the Lab Radar, they aren't reliable enough to justify the price, they got rushed to market.. I have a V3 Magnetospeed and a 38yr old 2 screen Oehler 35p, they'll get me by for what I need out of them. I could maybe buy a couple of new screens for the 35P, they're not expensive, along with new diffusers, it's been clipped a couple of times over the years, still works good though.
 
I just read a thread on the accurateshooter forum that someone solved the speedtrackers missed readings issue with a 3D printed picantiny rail at an angle. It seems that he wnated to cross the barrel line with the speedtrackers line. He reported that this solved his issue with the .22 LR readings and is planing to to the same thing on his 6,5.
I'm going to do the exact same thing with mine in the near future :)
 
I just read a thread on the accurateshooter forum that someone solved the speedtrackers missed readings issue with a 3D printed picantiny rail at an angle. It seems that he wnated to cross the barrel line with the speedtrackers line. He reported that this solved his issue with the .22 LR readings and is planing to to the same thing on his 6,5.
I'm going to do the exact same thing with mine in the near future :)

Also the case with my 3d printed mount its alignment is maybe a couple of degrees off and mounted on one side fails to read most of the time , mounted on the other i reads all the time ,
 
Mine seems to be on the fritz. On rifles it used to read very reliably it no longer picks up projectiles. Gen1 Bulletseeker.

Is best course of action to seek refund through one of the email addresses above?

Thanks.
 
Hopes & dreams shattered again. Damn, I want to buy a doppler unit. I've got @FuhQ luck with shit too. In fact murphy is already reading along with me as I type. so I'm FuQ'ed too!

So, I saw the FX True Ballistics radar unit...
 
Hopes & dreams shattered again. Damn, I want to buy a doppler unit. I've got @FuhQ luck with shit too. In fact murphy is already reading along with me as I type. so I'm FuQ'ed too!

So, I saw the FX True Ballistics radar unit...
I've had the FX True Ballistics radar unit now since June 2023. I want to say it is the easiest to use, have not had any miss readings and the battery use is great (4 hours of using it and 75% power still remaining). I can go two full days without worrying about the battery. The only complain i might have is that their app was as good as the Bulletseeker one. You don't have to use the APP. However, to keep the data, you use the APP..45 ACP testing.jpg
I've have used it on my center fire rifles (308, 6mm ARC & .223), Rim Fire and Hand guns (22lr, 9mm and .45ACP).
 
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I've had the FX True Ballistics radar unit now since June 2023. I want to say it is the easiest to use, have not had any miss readings and the battery use is great (4 hours of using it and 75% power still remaining). I can go two full days without worrying about the battery. The only complain i might have is that their app was as good as the Bulletseeker one. You don't have to use the APP. However, to keep the data, you use the APP.View attachment 8206783
I've have used it on my center fire rifles (308, 6mm ARC & .223), Rim Fire and Hand guns (22lr, 9mm and .45ACP).

Do you ever shoot suppressed over it?