Occassionally a client asks if we can do a spot speed study. I looked into radar guns about 10 years ago and they were close to $2,000. For the amount of speed studies we could potentially do, I decided not to buy one.
In the latest ITE Journal, I saw an announcement about the Pocket Radar. I did a little digging and its a handheld radar detector originally developed for clocking baseball pitches and other sport uses.
The list price is $199, it is literally the size of an iPhone, and it does not need calibration. I'm working to get it tested out next to police officer's expensive radar gun. If it pans out, this is a great tool that each public agency should have. Radar guns are big and affect driver behavior. With this little device that looks like a smartphone, people just think you're out taking photos.
From our initial tests, it looks like its accurate (and after years of setting out speed tube counters I like to think my internal radar is slightly better than average). It takes two AAA batteries and is easy to use. Just point it at the car (coming or going) and push the red button.
We haven't posted the Pocket Radar on CountingCars.com yet, but we have signed a distributor agreement. Once we get a little more testing done (we only sell products we use and stand behind 100%), we'll put it on the site. If this interests you, shoot me an email at mspack@trafficdatainc.com and I'll let you know when we're ready to sell them (should be by September7th).
Internal memory is very useful in such a device…some brands store the individual speed of every car it catch!
Not sure if the model shown on the picture is the one you are considering but some of its users reviews noted issues with the button and the difficult night vision of the screen that has no backlight!!
Looking forward to your professional feedback! Good Luck 🙂