I was at the Labradar booth today and very much liked what I saw with the new Labradar LX.
I was told that this unit was under development for 18 months, that they planned to unveil it at this SHOT Show, and the announcement of Garmin Xero didn’t cause them to change their plans. “It would have been impossible to develop this unit in the time since the Garmin came out. We have been at this a year to 18 months, because we wanted to get everything right.”
They had an ace up their sleeve the whole time!
My questions:
#1. CAN I ADD TO A PREVIOUS STRING, DAMMIT?
Answer: “Of course. Why are you getting so excited?” Gent shows me how you simply select the string you are returning to, hit the arm button, and voila! (Was that so goshdarned hard? )
So let me get this straight: I can go back to any series, at any time, and add to it, and it will continue compiling the data?
“Yup.”
Part of me thinks Garmin will fix their Xero to allow for this fundamental functionality PDQ, and part of me wonders why the heck it’s not already in there. Either way, score. Advantage Labradar. Now I am interested.
2. Can it detect rimfire, pellets, arrows, shotguns, .17 and .22 cal? All yes, except, maybe, shotgun. Unclear on that, but promised it could be part of an update. All the others, definite yes.
3. What’s with the sight on top. Is the field narrow?
No, we used to have a 4 by 4 degree beam opening, now we have a 32 x 16 beam opening, so you don’t need the sight at all. We just put it there because some customers are used to it and like to have it. Just put the unit on the table, point it downrange shoot within 12-18 inches, and it will pick up all your shots.
The old units narrow beam allowed for velocity readings out to 100 yards or maybe a bit more with some calibers. That can still be useful for rimfire and air rifle applications. This new unit’s more forgiving wider beam allows for readings out to 25 yards, and also, allows users to pick more than one point (multiple readings) x say at muzzle and at. 25 yards.
4. Aluminum case (not plastic), made in North America (not Taiwan), data solely yours and is never accessed by 3rd parties (unlike Garmin), internal battery but also runs on external battery if desired, and will operate while charging, USB-C port for charge and also for data transfer, new improved microphone is super sensitive and is triggered by pellet guns, suppressors, etc.
They had me at “previous string ...”
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated." Thomas Paine
I wonder if the shorter range/wider beam makes it more difficult to accurately predict the BC of a bullet. Although not a feature used much on the LRV1. Never found it a challenge to aim my LR though.
Operates on internal or external battery.
The LRLX is made in North America.
They kindve have me at “return to previous shot strings” too…..
Great. Now I’m going to want spend a chunk of change on ANOTHER chronograph.
Anybody wanna buy a M35 and a LRV1? I’ll make a package deal……..
Casey
Not being married to any particular political party sure makes it a lot easier to look at the world more objectively... Having said that, MAGA.
In an email conversation, LR recently told me they are working on a way to return to previous strings on the V1 model. There may be no good reason to get rid of your LRV1 just yet.
I am rooting for the update on the old unit myself (can’t believe I didn’t think to ask that - although I had asked it before and was told “no”).
Made in North America means Canada.
When I asked them about narrow beam vs. wide beam issue, their take was that they never really promoted the potential to calculate BC by taking readings downrange because even the older, narrow-beamed unit maxes out at about 100 yards. Their position is that you wouldn’t want to extrapolate BC numbers farther downrange. So while it has utility in the rimfire and airgun world, 100-yard BCs in the centerfire rifle world are not so useful.
Thus the wider beam on the new units provides lots of benefits and sacrifices a little bit of downrange abilities that were of limited benefit anyway.
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated." Thomas Paine
I have to wonder if that wider beam will result in more false readings from shooters at adjacent benches. I ask because I was the “offender” shooting several positions down from a guy using a LR, and he was picking up my shots. Maybe he had it aimed poorly, maybe not. I tried to time my shots between his to avoid confusion, but he still had to delete them. That incident promoted me to buy a MS instead.
I have to wonder if that wider beam will result in more false readings from shooters at adjacent benches. I ask because I was the “offender” shooting several positions down from a guy using a LR, and he was picking up my shots. Maybe he had it aimed poorly, maybe not. I tried to time my shots between his to avoid confusion, but he still had to delete them. That incident promoted me to buy a MS instead.
Short answer is no.
The way it was explained to me, in AUTO mode, which is where you want to be most of the time, there is a “double trigger technology.” Basically it has two triggers, sound, and Doppler (something out front), and it needs coordinated signals from both to activate a reading. Stray readings don’t seem to be an issue anymore with the new-gen doppler units.
Only when shooting arrows should one use “Doppler” mode, which is triggered by something out front, and does not confirm it with noise ...
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated." Thomas Paine
With my original version I have gone to using the doppler trigger all the time. It works fine that way. It triggers when it sees a doppler shift on anything in the field of view.
NRA Life,Endowment,Patron or Benefactor since '72.
all this new tech is fascinating, but I am comfortable with, and will continue to use my old Chrony Beta. For my limited needs, it still provides the answers.
all this new tech is fascinating, but I am comfortable with, and will continue to use my old Chrony Beta. For my limited needs, it still provides the answers.
BFD
"I can't be canceled, because, I don't give a fuuck!" --- Kid Rock 2022
