Review: Bushnell Speedster series II radar gun

Your Reviewer

My Credentials
So who's doing this reviewing then?

Well I've been building and flying or driving radio controlled models for over 40 years and during that time I like to think I've built up a reasonable amount of knowledge.

I'm also a qualified electronics engineer who has worked in radio frequency, analog, digital systems and software for more than three decades. In fact I designed and built my first RC set back in 1969.

For the past nine years I've also been involved in the design and manufacture of some rather sophisticated engine technology and UAV flight control systems.

So, chances are I've been there, done that and have a huge pile of tee shirts to prove it.

Right now I'm heavily into 3D flying and enjoy all aspects of the RC hobby. I may be old but I don't feel it.

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Review: Bushnell's budget radar speed gun

CAN A CHEAP SPORTS RADAR CLOCK YOUR MODEL?

I didn't have great expectations when I ordered the Bushnell Speedster Series 2 radar speed gun.

With most decent speed guns costing many hundreds of dollars, it only stands to reason that an $80 version is going to offer much lower levels of performance. But would it be good enough to reliably measure the speed of RC model airplanes?

Like many RC model fliers, I'd already bought one of those cheap HotWheels radar guns and found it absolutely useless for RC model aircraft use. Even when flying within a few feet of the HotWheels gun it failed to produce a reading.

It Arrives

Bushnell radar My radar gun arrived within a few short days of being ordered and was, safely ensconced a cheap plastic blister pack, which was not unexpected, given the budget-price.

I was very pleasantly surprised however, when after a bit of work with my modelling knife, I finally got to hold the gun in my hand. It's not the cheesy, flimsy plastic molding I expected. The gun actually feels very substantial and has a slightly rubberized grip. I really hadn't expected this kind of build-quality on an $80 radar gun.

The instructions are provided on a single sheet of paper and in writing so small I had to break out a magnifying glass to make sense of them (yeah, I'm getting old).

Another little bonus is the nylon carry-bag that is provided, so as to protect your Speedster when toting out to the flying field.

Testing around home

After stuffing a couple of brand-new C-size alkaline cells into the handle, I went outside to see if I could clock a few passing vehicles -- and I could

The range was "adequate" but somewhat less than the 1,300 feet claimed by Bushnell for this speed-gun.

The speed of a passing cyclist was able to be read until he was about 70 yards away, I'd hoped for better that this, since a cyclist and his bike are a lot bigger target than your average flying model.

Operation is very simple -- you just press a button on the display panel to turn it on then point at something and pull the trigger. So long as you keep the trigger held down the speed is displayed in realtime. When you release the trigger only the highest speed recorded during that trigger-down period is displayed.

The display can be toggled between kilometers per hour and miles per hour by pressing the display-pannel button while the trigger is pulled. Very simple, very effective.

So this thing obviously works and is pretty idiot-proof, but how good is it at clocking small fast moving objects with a relatively low radar profile -- yeah, we're talking about model airplanes!

Part 2: Speed gun versus model airplane