wolfmangreg
HAM Ranger
Couldn’t wait to start using this unit after it showed up on my porch, courtesy of the HAM Pumpkin Carve & Athlon Optics (thanks again @Athlon Optics for your generosity & forum support)!
Have used optical chronographs for decades. Long before turning total air(gun)head, used them for archery & my .357 Magnum hand loads. Since the conversion, used them frequently for tuning, pellet & slug testing, and as a general diagnostic tool. Have burned through quite a few 9v batteries.
While acknowledging the usefulness of chronographs & employing them frequently, stubbornly (& irrationally) resisted moving on from optical chronies, despite the frustrations all of them produced- missed shots, random errors, issues getting them to work with phone apps, having to get lighting and positioning just so, etc. Had I known just how much simpler & user friendly the Athlon would be, would’ve ponied up the cash long ago!
Bear in mind it’s way too soon to comment on long term durability, reliability, etc- only three sessions so far, about 300 shots. And can’t make any comparisons to its radar based competition, having never used any of them.
The chronograph:
The app:
Side note- Have read in a few threads here & elsewhere that the Athlon may pick up shots from nearby shooters in addition to your own. Had shooters to either side of me while at the indoor range & it didn’t happen. Maybe because both were shooting powder burners (AR-15 derivatives I think), so their projectile speeds were likely way higher than the 600-1800 fps the unit looks for when in airgun mode. Will report back when I’ve had the chance to shoot next to other airgunners.
The main point I’d like to convey with all of that chatter is that it’s really, REALLY easy to use. So fast & simple to set up that I’ll likely use it every time I shoot from a bench- no reason to not use it!
With a taller tripod or other means of getting it to the right height, no reason to think it won’t work well when shooting from bucket & sticks too. Will test that out soon.
Have used optical chronographs for decades. Long before turning total air(gun)head, used them for archery & my .357 Magnum hand loads. Since the conversion, used them frequently for tuning, pellet & slug testing, and as a general diagnostic tool. Have burned through quite a few 9v batteries.
While acknowledging the usefulness of chronographs & employing them frequently, stubbornly (& irrationally) resisted moving on from optical chronies, despite the frustrations all of them produced- missed shots, random errors, issues getting them to work with phone apps, having to get lighting and positioning just so, etc. Had I known just how much simpler & user friendly the Athlon would be, would’ve ponied up the cash long ago!
Bear in mind it’s way too soon to comment on long term durability, reliability, etc- only three sessions so far, about 300 shots. And can’t make any comparisons to its radar based competition, having never used any of them.
The chronograph:
- Claims ~6 hours battery life, & appears it will meet or exceed that. Well over three hours of up time so far, and shows more than half of its capacity remains.
- Screen is large enough & quite crisp, making it easy to read.
- Menus & navigation are very simple & intuitive. Athlon really nailed this.
- Setting the unit up for use is also dead simple. The included, aluminum mini-tripod screws right in. Eyeball estimated the recommended distance behind & to the side of the muzzle, pointed in the right direction, good to go.
- Has not missed a shot to date, nor given any questionable results. Mostly .22 pellets, but also shot some .22 slugs & a couple magazines of .177. Speeds from ~800 to just under 1000 fps. Have tested in near dusk lighting, on a sunny day from a shaded position, and at an indoor range that is not very well lit in my opinion. No worries, handled it all.
- The quality hard case fits the chronograph, tripod & charging cord while taking up very little space in my range pack.
The app:
- Not as intuitive as the chronograph itself, but picked it up pretty quick after a bit of messing around. Has a database of projectile specs & scope reticles similar to Strelok.
- No problems with data sync. Wondered if deleting recording sessions on the chronograph to save space would also delete them from the app, but it doesn’t. Once the session has been synced, it stays available in the app even after deleting from the chrony, until you delete it from the app.
- Sessions can be individually exported to Excel/Google Sheets files.
Side note- Have read in a few threads here & elsewhere that the Athlon may pick up shots from nearby shooters in addition to your own. Had shooters to either side of me while at the indoor range & it didn’t happen. Maybe because both were shooting powder burners (AR-15 derivatives I think), so their projectile speeds were likely way higher than the 600-1800 fps the unit looks for when in airgun mode. Will report back when I’ve had the chance to shoot next to other airgunners.
The main point I’d like to convey with all of that chatter is that it’s really, REALLY easy to use. So fast & simple to set up that I’ll likely use it every time I shoot from a bench- no reason to not use it!
With a taller tripod or other means of getting it to the right height, no reason to think it won’t work well when shooting from bucket & sticks too. Will test that out soon.
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