Labradar doppler chronograph

If at a local range, this would be great just for the fact of not having to wait or hold people up by walking past firing line for setup.

Ding Ding Ding! That's it right there. Assembling screens, running wires, confirming that your aimpoint is actually centered shooting through the screens. The whole process is a massive PITA. Doing that during a cease fire at a public range is stressful. Sometimes, I find out my screens are too close to your rifle so that the gases are triggering errors. At that point, my chrono is about to read how fast I can chuck my rifle through the chrono in frustration. A reasonably sized self-contained unit would help A LOT.
 
They have been responsive to emails if somebody wants to write them and get an updated ETA.

I'm anxious for this too, need a good chrono ASAP, and have been waiting for the release patiently.
 
Just got an update on Saturday. Here is the response.

We will have a limited first production run in mid July, followed by full production for the U.S. market. Foreign sales will be available soon after. A date for international sales has not been finalized but will be as soon as possible after obtaining export/import approvals.
We will keep you updated via email when LabRadar is available for purchase. The final price will be announced soon, but is expected to be about $550.00 USD.


Best regards,

Richard
LabRadar
LabRadar - My Personal Radar
[email protected]
 
I went with the Magnetospeed and couldn't be happier. Perhaps I'll get a Labradar someday, but it will likely be a Gen 2 or 3 when they have the bugs worked out. I'd be disappointed if I ended up with a Gen 1 Magnetospeed after all the improvements and this Labradar will be the same way. I'm still very interested in how well it works though.
 
I went with the Magnetospeed and couldn't be happier. Perhaps I'll get a Labradar someday, but it will likely be a Gen 2 or 3 when they have the bugs worked out. I'd be disappointed if I ended up with a Gen 1 Magnetospeed after all the improvements and this Labradar will be the same way. I'm still very interested in how well it works though.

I think that is a very smart move. It's what I was thinking plus I really want to see how it performs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Vp H cmhb
 
New versions are to be expected. It is up to the individual to decide at what point to take on new technology. If everyone waits for all the bugs to get worked we would be waiting a lot longer. I waited for the Magnetospeed V2. Like it a lot but then V3 came out. V2 works well enough.

I suspect the reason for the Labradar,delay may be the company really wants to work out the major bugs and hit a home run. The days of putting out a crappy product and nobody knowing about it are over. There is going be someone like BigJim or Lowlight that will put it thru its paces and call it for what it is or isn't. I think companies know that and want to make that great first impression.
 
I went with a Superchrono a year and a half ago because of the (alleged) ease of setup.
I have had a lot of trouble with the unit. Setup optimally per the instructions, I get widely varying reads, or nothing at all.
Once I had a good string going with my 24" Kreiger barreled AR, recording 20 shots in a row with what seemed like realistic velocities.
I switched to my .260, same barrel height, same target, no reads for 10 consecutive shots.
When I went to retrieve the unit, a problem with the battery compartment not keeping the batteries aligned switched the unit off, losing all my data.

I deem the Superchrono a steaming POS, and now it seems no one in the US is importing them and, by extension, supporting them.
Swell.

It will be a while before I buy another chrono not using tried and proven (optical) technology.
I hope the Doppler radar unit is the real deal, as it would be well worth the price, but I'll let someone else take the leap this time.
In the meantime I guess I'll have to bug my friend to loan me his Ohler.
 
My wife got me the Oehler 35P for Fathers Day (is that a great wife or what?) - had some initial trouble on a cloudy day, but the time it was sunny and worked great and no apparenT POI shift like I get on the Magnetospeed. The only problem is the darn wind in Colorado Springs. It seems the wind is always blowing like crazy by about 1100 out at our range. The screens shaking all around, we sandbag the tripods so at least it doesn't blow over.

You do make a good point about unproven tech stuff. After I read thru the operating instructions and having to figure out the setup angle and position for the SuperChrono I wasn't confident that I could get it to work for me. As far as the Labradar, if it does most of what it says it does, and someone like Frank does give it a thumbs up, with some caveats, I might get it. Somebody does need to show it at lest works, maybe not perfect but at least good enough to use.
 
Looked at my calendar today and it says "mid July". Anybody heard any scoop on how close these "limited production run" units are to becoming available? Also, anyone know if any priority preference will be given to folks who "pre-bought" on their website? (which appeared to be signing up to be notified when they become available)
 
Update from labradar:

Since many of you saw our product at Shot Show 2014 we have made some changes to enhance the users experience.

  • We have added the ability for the user to input the projectile weight so the Kinetic Energy is automatically calculated at the distances you preselect.
  • Added Power Factor Calculations for the IPSC, USPSA Shooters.
  • Added a removable SD card port for easy download of data to a PC. You can also download via USB cable.
  • Five downrange velocities are reported in user selected distances in increments of one (yards, meters, etc).

LabRadar will become available in Fall 2014. While we had planned on an earlier release, one of the key personnel became critically ill during the final stages of development and was unable to work for over three months. Fortunately he is recovering and is back to work on a limited basis. We thank you for your patience and support. We will continue to update you when firm delivery date is established.

This remarkable device will be worth the wait.


Best regards,

Richard
LabRadar
 
Update from labradar:

Since many of you saw our product at Shot Show 2014 we have made some changes to enhance the users experience.

  • We have added the ability for the user to input the projectile weight so the Kinetic Energy is automatically calculated at the distances you preselect.
  • Added Power Factor Calculations for the IPSC, USPSA Shooters.
  • Added a removable SD card port for easy download of data to a PC. You can also download via USB cable.
  • Five downrange velocities are reported in user selected distances in increments of one (yards, meters, etc).

LabRadar will become available in Fall 2014. While we had planned on an earlier release, one of the key personnel became critically ill during the final stages of development and was unable to work for over three months. Fortunately he is recovering and is back to work on a limited basis. We thank you for your patience and support. We will continue to update you when firm delivery date is established.

This remarkable device will be worth the wait.


Best regards,

Richard
LabRadar
Hope your employee is getting better, thanks for the update I'm waiting!
 
Super accurate and easy set up. For the money, it is worth it, but for the money, I will wait for someone else to buy serial #0000001. I would like to see someone put it next to the Oehler 35P. If those numbers are right, it should be more accurate than the Oehler.

I am so sick of lugging my CED M2 to the range. Setup is a huge hassle. I have shot the screens before. I was considering a Magnetospeed, but I like this one better. Like Ledzep, I can't get over the idea of strapping something to my barrel during load development.

Well I'll gladly be serial #00000001 for you ;)

Although all I'll have to compare it to is a Prochrono digital...I still plan on doing some extensive A/B simultaneous testing and posting the results here.
 
Just thought I'd post a recent email response from Richard on my question of multiple shooters in the next few lanes over at the range.

He responded with:

"Chris,

Good question, LabRadar accuracy will not be affected by other shots being fired into your radar beam. Part of the technology built into the system allows it to determine if the shot came from very near the radar unit or if it came in from another location. Since the radar beam is only active for a fraction of a second it is nearly impossible for you to receive a velocity from another shooter nearby.


Best regards,

Richard
LabRadar
www.mylabradar.com
[email protected]"
 
Meh, I dont want to be an early adopter in anything tech related any more than I already have to. Perhaps when the gen2 or 3 hits I will be ready, in the meanwhile I have my trusty Oehler that I never pull out 98% of the time as I am too lazy to set it up as I'd rather just shoot...

-pd
 
I'm definitly ordering one as soon as they start taking the orders. Usually I wait until a second gen version but I will need a chrono before next year and I'm excited about this new tecnology. I don't like shooting through the light sensor chronos and I don't like having anything hanging off my barrel. If there are no major bugs this should be a home run.
 
FWIW Regarding chronographs (optical, acoustic and magnetic), Bryan Litz's new book, Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting has a section dedicated to chronograph testing and comparison. Its VERY revealing about traditional chronographs and the latest technology in velocity tracking. I would highly recommend anyone interested in purchasing a chrono purchase/read his book (AppliedBallisticsllc.com) prior to spending money on certain chronographs without understanding the limitations on certain models. I am hoping Bryan and his team get the chance to test the MyLab shortly after they are released.
 
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FWIW Regarding chronographs (optical, acoustic and magnetic), Bryan Litz's new book, Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting has a section dedicated to chronograph testing and comparison. Its VERY revealing about traditional chronographs and the latest technology in velocity tracking. I would highly recommend anyone interested in purchasing a chrono purchase/read his book (AppliedBallisticsllc.com) prior to spending money on certain chronographs without understanding the limitations on certain models. I am hoping Bryan and his team get the chance to test the MyLab shortly after they are released.

I'm intrigued...give us the cliff notes ;)
 
Stang, I'd love to share the results but beacuse Bryan and the team at Applied Ballistics put a TON of work into their books, And because I know Bryan, I don't want to give away their proprietary work for free.

Rather than any specific results, I'll simply say "in general, you get what you pay for."

It really is worth the price of admission though and I'm eagerly awaiting volume 2 in Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting. ;)
 
Stang, I'd love to share the results but beacuse Bryan and the team at Applied Ballistics put a TON of work into their books, And because I know Bryan, I don't want to give away their proprietary work for free.

Rather than any specific results, I'll simply say "in general, you get what you pay for."

It really is worth the price of admission though and I'm eagerly awaiting volume 2 in Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting. ;)

I can respect that :)

I just bought his first book and their new iOS app, which was $80 together....so I can't put anymore into the Litz fund right now, but I'm sure I will soon enough... :)
 
Haha! Definitely a great read for advanced Ballistics interest. If you are considering purchasing a chrono (or reinvesting in a different one) I would wait until you can get a copy of the newest. Let's just say I wasted $100 one week too early. :eek:
 
I may have missed the "answer" in this thread, but I know several were asking about shooting with suppressors. I submitted the question via their website and got a prompt response:

Matt,

It should work fine with most suppressed weapons using factory velocity ammunition. We have not yet tested it yet with subsonic so I cannot be sure it will “trigger” the radar on the sound of the muzzle blast. We should have the answer to your question in about 30 days if you want to check back with us.

Best regards,

Richard

LabRadar
LabRadar - My Personal Radar
[email protected]
 
I can respect that :)

I just bought his first book and their new iOS app, which was $80 together....so I can't put anymore into the Litz fund right now, but I'm sure I will soon enough... :)

I would love to buy this book, but I cannot get the 3 book bundle shipped to me in Europe, and shipping from AB LLC costs more that the books, which I just have trouble taking on the chin...
 
I would love to buy this book, but I cannot get the 3 book bundle shipped to me in Europe, and shipping from AB LLC costs more that the books, which I just have trouble taking on the chin...
Bryan's book (Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting ​Volume 1) shows the most accurate and consistent chronograph was the MagnetoSpeed V2 or V3 version by a mile over the classic chronograph models. No contest! With the MagnetoSpeed so good in most conditions, the Labrador will need to be well proven and bug free, if they expect me to pay over $400 for it.

It is a great book debunking all the myths about modern bullet design and and barrel twist rates. He meticulously shows all the math and science behind the ballistics and then summarizes the chapters in easy to understand (non Geek) terms. I've read it several times so far.
 
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I would love to buy this book, but I cannot get the 3 book bundle shipped to me in Europe, and shipping from AB LLC costs more that the books, which I just have trouble taking on the chin...

If only there were some way to ship information cheaply without printing bound paper copies and physically transporting those copies around the world.... ;)
 
farmerbrown - AB is showing a German source for their books - bottom of the latest book page - Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting: Volume I

dbooksta - that is what Kindle, Nook, and other "readers" are suppose to be all about. But that assumes that the publisher supports that tech. AB has "articles" for Kindle and Nook but none of their major "texts". I have the full collection including the DVD. I'm a couple chapters into the latest.
 
dbooksta - that is what Kindle, Nook, and other "readers" are suppose to be all about. But that assumes that the publisher supports that tech. AB has "articles" for Kindle and Nook but none of their major "texts". I have the full collection including the DVD. I'm a couple chapters into the latest.

Ah ha, I knew there had to be something! Human ingenuity to the rescue: first the invention of gunpowder, then movable type, and now e-readers! Of course it's asking a lot of someone in this day and age to take a handwritten manuscript and pay not only to typeset it but also to somehow digitize it as an e-book. Perhaps in the future authors will draft and do final layout in some sort of electronic portable document format that can be used for both physical printing and electronic readers? One can dream....
 
farmerbrown - AB is showing a German source for their books - bottom of the latest book page - Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting: Volume I

dbooksta - that is what Kindle, Nook, and other "readers" are suppose to be all about. But that assumes that the publisher supports that tech. AB has "articles" for Kindle and Nook but none of their major "texts". I have the full collection including the DVD. I'm a couple chapters into the latest.

I ordered a couple of books from the German source - probably end up costing the same as it would from the US with postage.
Anyway, I've done it now. Thanks for the pointer, didn't see it on that website.
 
Alright when is this damn chronograph going to be released???

Probably not until they a) get it to work reliably; b) get any and all patent issues resolved; c) find the funding to make production possible.

I used to work for a company that would make grandiose presentations of "new" equipment at trade shows then never put them in production. They would measure the ACTUAL market available to them with feedback from the shows, figure out how much they would have to charge based on estimated production levels, and more times than not just put this new "whiz-bang" back on the shelf. Some were "shelved" because they found someone else had one or more patents already filed that would require them to pay royalties (if the patent holder would even allow production).

Who knows when, or even if, we'll ever see this chronograph on the market. I'm going to wait for it to hit the shelves before I get all excited over it.
 
Probably not until they a) get it to work reliably; b) get any and all patent issues resolved; c) find the funding to make production possible.

I used to work for a company that would make grandiose presentations of "new" equipment at trade shows then never put them in production. They would measure the ACTUAL market available to them with feedback from the shows, figure out how much they would have to charge based on estimated production levels, and more times than not just put this new "whiz-bang" back on the shelf. Some were "shelved" because they found someone else had one or more patents already filed that would require them to pay royalties (if the patent holder would even allow production).

Who knows when, or even if, we'll ever see this chronograph on the market. I'm going to wait for it to hit the shelves before I get all excited over it.

^This +1
 
The reason I bought a Magnaspeed is that many years ago I worked on the development side of radar systems. While everything they claim is possible, from the beginning I have questioned the ability of building a radar for the dollars advertised with this capability set for the prices they have quoted. Is it technically possible? Yes. Can it be produced at a cost effective price point? This is the question. I believe this is where their problem remains.

My other issue, I don't want to stand in front of a radar that can read bullet speed at 100 yards any more than I want to get inside the body scanner at the airport.
 
My other issue, I don't want to stand in front of a radar that can read bullet speed at 100 yards any more than I want to get inside the body scanner at the airport.

Why not? People won't be spending much time in front of these low-power units. You're subjected to more radiation due to time of exposure when you take a 6 hour plane trip.
 
So is this all smoke and mirrors or what? Caldwell came out with a new cheap chrono that plugs into your phone that I'm considering for pistol loads to supplement my V2. Was kind of waiting on this but it looks like I might be waiting a lot longer.
 
So is this all smoke and mirrors or what? Caldwell came out with a new cheap chrono that plugs into your phone that I'm considering for pistol loads to supplement my V2. Was kind of waiting on this but it looks like I might be waiting a lot longer.

Drama Queens of the year:

2013- NF Beast
2014- Labradar Doppler

I want one bad, even knowing the Magneto speed will probably reign supreme, I want the ease of use.