A rant, A question and A shortcut

[BLTsandwedge]

The rant: My Shooting Chrony Beta is about as reliable as a flintlock with a frizzen made from a potato. Well, maybe a bit more....the very best I can get it to do is one error message out of a ten shot string. I get the Err1 message (the front sensor didn't see the round) the Err2 message (the rear sensor didn't see the round) and/or no reading at all. This thing won't deal with ambient light changes. Once it starts really screwing up i.e. three, four or five missed rounds, I have to shut it off and leave it off for 15-20 minutes before it'll start reading again. If it is partly in the shade it won't read. Nothing I do seems to help much- a new battery, lens cleaning etc has no effect. The only thing I can do is to try for the best light conditions I can- mid day, sunny or overcast but not changing light.

The question: Does anyone have a recommendation or two......or did I get what I paid for?

The shortcut: If you like to do your own load performance calculations using Excel, a handy formula for energy calculation reads =POWER(N4,2)*C4/450395. N4 (or whatever letter/number combination) is the cell that contains your velocity data (that's where my mean average for that string lives). The C4 (or whatever) is the cell where your bullet weight lives.

Thanks all,

Tom

[leadman]

A piece of the frosty looking scotch tape on the lense helps here in sunny Arizona.

[405]

Oh ya,
I've seen that. Much frustration! I don't know if it was the fancier Beta or not so now I just use the most basic F1. I can see the screen from the shooting position and record the numbers on a note pad. At home I use an SD caculator and run the other simple numbers like ES and mean vel. I put that info straight into my load log book. In the end just as simple and quick as having a printout or a readout from the machine.

A few things I did/do to help ensure consistent readings:

1) I use just one section of the sky screen supports (4 total instead of the 8).

2) I permanently attached the halves of the sky screen together with rivets.

3) I put slight bend in one end of the 4 sky screen supports so the sky screen sits flat on top without any bend/stress.

4) I sight very carefully down the top of the unit's frame to ensure alignment and be parallel to bullet flight in every axis .

5) When sun is below sky screen shadow (low sun angle) I shade sensor slits with index cards taped to sky screen legs so the sensor slits are shaded from direct sunlight.

[ChuckS1]

I've given up on my Beta Master. Worked okay for a while, but since then haven't had any luck with it giving me accurate readings. Tried just about everything I could find on various forums as well as the Chrony Tech Support. Very frustrating.

[cheese1566]

My old F1 still working great after 15 years. I hardly use the sky screens unless the sun is directly overhead.

Are you having the same error results on cloudy overcast days? This is when mine works the best.

[Lead Fred]

I tie yard to the top and tape it next to the gate, then all I have to do is shoot between the yarn strings. Ya hit one every now and then

[RayinNH]

Tom will soon be posting in the I shot my Chrony today thread ...Ray

[montana_charlie]

I just use the most basic F1. I can see the screen from the shooting position and record the numbers on a note pad. At home I use an SD caculator and run the other simple numbers like ES and mean vel.

Your F1 will give you all of those numbers...and some others...if you ask it to.

There is a small jack in the side of the faceplate.
Insert a small audio plug, with two wires connected, into that jack.
Short the wires together, or connect them to a spring-loaded push-button switch, and you will get a different reading for each 'activation'.

Your manual explains how to read them but it's pretty intuitive, anyway.

If you make the wires pretty long, you can keep the switch on your shooting bench. I did mine that way, then discovered I have to get close to the Chrony to read the numbers.

The Chrony people also sell a wired switch and plug arrangement, if you don't want to build your own.

One last piece of advice...
The spring-loaded push-button switch I bought is a hand-held unit that is thumb-activated. It looks exactly like what you see in the movies...attached to explosive vests.
Even has the ominous-looking red button.

When I asked the clerk at Radio Shack where the switches were, he took me to the display. When I spied the one I wanted and snatched it, he saw what it looked like...and wanted to know what I was going to use it for.

I thought about being mad 'because it was my business, not his'.
Then I decided that, if he feels patriotic enough to wonder about it...I appreciate his patriotism enough to tell him why I want it.

CM

[giz189]

Only trouble I have had was setting it up under the garage on a rainy day. Didnot get any readings, guess there was not enough light. When I use it and set it outside on a sunny day or cloudy day, as long as I use the diffusers as directed, I have had good luck with mine. Don't know what the prob might be.

[Mk42gunner]

Tom will soon be posting in the I shot my Chrony today thread ...Ray

Doesn't that only count if it is acidental?

Robert

[montana_charlie]

Only trouble I have had was setting it up under the garage on a rainy day. Did not get any readings, guess there was not enough light. Don't know what the prob might be.

They sell a $40 kit for using the Chrony indoors. It has lights mounted above the diffusers.
I got my (used) Chrony from eBay, and it came with the indoor kit.
I've always just assumed everything is in the box that should be there.
But, I have no indoor area where I can use it, so I haven't ever examined it in detail.

CM

[mpmarty]

Mine works fine here in Oregon. No sun to worry about and the cloud cover is better than the silly white plastic things they send with the chrony.

[HammerMTB]

Mine works fine here in Oregon. No sun to worry about and the cloud cover is better than the silly white plastic things they send with the chrony.

Same here. It works best on overcast days. I live in NW WA state. Perfect. I seldom even get an err message.
And the remote readout and button was worth all of the $20-30 bucks I paid for it. I can do all my analysis right from the shootin' bench.

[JIMinPHX]

If it's in the shade, it ain't gunna work real well no matter what you do.
If it's sunny, use the sky screens.
If it's cloudy, then don't use the sky screens.
If you are shooting something with a large muzzle blast, back it up an extra 6 or 8 feet further away.
Try to keep your shots fairly well centered over the sensors.
If all else fails, shoot a little closer to the sensors, like about 2" above them.
If none of this works, then send it back to the factory & tell them that it is defective.

I've had mine for over 20 years. It works well in the snow/rain/sleet back east & it works well here in the desert. My sky screens are turning yellow & cracking now, but other than that, it's still in real good shape, even after all these years.

[Southern Son]

Mine works well here in the Tropics of Queensland. The only time I get issues is when using a lube cookie in BP loads. I think that the boolit tripping the first screen and then the lube cookie might spin the little man with the stop watch out. Even when using those loads, it will only be one round out of 20-30. I hope you get yours sorted out.

[imashooter2]

Doh! Posted response in the wrong thread...

[pdawg_shooter]

Try a Pact.

[Ford SD]

Ive had good luck using a white cardboard top (ipsc white target) as a sky screen
first day i tried it on bright sunny day every reading was good
the plastic signs also work( made like cardboard)

You can also extend the wires 6-8 (taller) less chance of

I also cut a pc of 1/4 " plexi glass (lexan) and hold it on with a clothes peg and you can still see the numbers will stop those flying gas checks( or reduce damage) to the front readout

[BLTsandwedge]

Thanks all, good input. Since most have good luck with theirs I'm led to believe mine has evil spirits in it. Like Lucky brand vodka- very evil spirit.

Montana Charlie, I like your information on data read-out. I'm a geek when it comes to statistics so I keep raw data for 10-keying into Excel. What I bet will happen is after accumulating a year's worth of shot strings- many multiple strings on loads that only have small differences- like different primers or +/- one or two grains of powder or whatever- I'll be able to run stats formulas to see if there really are linear correlations in the differences. One that I'm starting (along with the small case capacity stuff I posted on before) is to find out if BhN changes velocity all by itself. Stuff like that. Userful? Likely not.....but small minds need constant stimulus.......

[Bent Ramrod]

The California sun is way too bright for the skyscreens on a Chrony. The diffusers don't diffuse well enough unless the sky is overcast. Ford SD's advice is my procedure also. Make sure both screens are shaded, regardless of the angle of the sunlight, and the error messages should go away.