Labradar and cold weather.

[Bob L.]

I have a buddy (@Tod Hendricks ) that also had this happen, let me know what you find out

I have the same issue.

 

[rardoin]

I was having that issue also; I noticed that if I held the USB cable in a particular direction the unit would stay powered. I tried a different USB cable that fit more snug and no problems since. After seeing Jlow's close up photo I checked my USB port and there was no damage noticeable. I would try a light crimping of that top strap as at least a temporary measure; it may hold the USB plug fast and allow use.

 

[Bigdad123]

I've also had trouble with the USB cables on my LabRadar, it seems to eat cables. I bought several cables on ebay and just keep spares handy.

 

[jimbires]

I used my labradar yesterday . it was 23*F at the range . it worked perfect for about 45 minutes . then I missed a shot , I thought I forgot to push the arm button . I pushed the arm button , the light turned orange , then immediately turned blue . after about 4 or 5 pushes the light stayed orange . the labradar worked good again for about another 30 minutes , then it shut off and would not come back on . I put the battery pack in my inner coat pocket for about 10 minutes , and the labradar came on . I don't know how long it would have lasted , I was finished shooting by this time .

 

[jlow]

I think the problem with the USB cable is because the type of socket style used results in only about 4/5 of the plug inserted. This is not a defect in the LabRadar associated socket but a characteristic of that particular style of connection. You can see this if you look from the side after plugging the cable in “fully”. Because part of the plug stays outside, it increases the amount of torque that can be accidentally applied to the socket itself say if the cable was caught on something.

If the damage to the socket is light and you are lucky enough to find a cable with slightly larger socket, you can indeed overcome the problem, but it will come back.

I talked to LabRadar 2 weeks ago and they recommend that I sent the unit in which is what I did. They also recommend using a cable long enough so that you can tie it around one of the handles on the side so that any accidental yanking on the cable will not be transferred to the plug/socket, resulting in what you saw with my unit. I recommend everyone do this....

I will report back when I get the unit back.

In terms of cold weather usage. The unit appears to work fine at around freezing temperature but does not work reliability in temps of 10-20 degree F. I found this out when using the unit with internal batteries. The unit will work but suddenly turn itself partially or completely off when exposed to a gun blast. It is not a battery problem as the unit reports at least a couple of bars of energy left.

 

[kyreloader]

Used mine again this past week and it was 18 degrees. Shot for approximately 45 minutes and I did not miss a shot.

Guess I am just lucky.

 

[jlow]

Unit came back today from Labradar - no charge and the connector appears to be fixed. Will have to range test it later this week.

 

[jlow]

Tested it yesterday on an outing for about 1.5 hours, temp in the high 20s so not real cold. Worked perfectly with the battery pack. Here is a ccomposite of the old (broken) and new (fixed).