Sports Radar 18 Inch Red LED Speed Display
The Sports Radar 18 Inch Red LED Speed Display is the largest speed board in the line and the one built for the far end of a stadium. Eighteen inch red LED digits in an aluminum case, fed by a radar gun or a speed detector over a single CAT5 run, put a pitch speed or a trap speed in front of an entire venue. It is a permanent installation product: baseball stadiums, drag strips, large tournament sites, and any position where a smaller board does not carry.
Two versions are listed here and the difference decides the purchase. Reads up to 99 is the two digit board, model DL1811. Reads up to 199 is the 2.5 digit board, model DL1812.5, which adds a half height leading 1 and can display a three digit speed. Read the next section before choosing, because the ceiling cannot be changed after the board is on the wall.
One more thing to be clear about: a display is not a radar. Neither version includes a gun. A working installation is this board, a speed source such as the SR3600 gun, the SR3800 gun or a DT100 speed detector, and a CAT5 cable between them.
Reads Up to 99 or Reads Up to 199
A two digit display cannot show a three digit number. The DL1811 covers 1 to 99 MPH or KPH, and a 100 MPH reading has nowhere to go on it. The DL1812.5 carries 2.5 digits, a narrow leading 1 next to two full size digits, and reads up to 199.
So the rule is simple. If anything in front of the radar might break 100, buy the 199 version. High school and college pitchers now reach the mid and upper 90s, and a stadium or showcase board that stops at 99 will fail on the pitch the whole crowd is watching for. Automotive work belongs on the 199 board without exception, since car speeds and drag strip trap speeds run past 99 as a matter of routine, and so do hard shots in hockey and lacrosse.
The 99 version makes sense where nothing on the field is going to reach triple digits and the money is better spent elsewhere in the install. It is the less expensive of the two, and for a venue running youth baseball, recreational play or a speed pitch attraction the ceiling will never be tested.
The 199 version carries a second advantage worth knowing about: an auto dimming sensor, which no other display in this line has. It reads ambient light and pulls the brightness down as the light falls, so the board is easy to read in daylight and not blinding under stadium lights at night. On a permanently mounted board that people sit in front of for three hours, that matters more than it sounds.
A Board You Can Read at 1,000 Feet
Both versions are rated to be read at 1,000 feet, day or night, which is the longest viewing distance in the Sports Radar display line and roughly three times what an 8 inch board delivers. The case is .090 aluminum with a white powder coat, and the digits sit behind a 1/8 inch red plexiglass cover with a velvet text overlay that resists scratches, dust and fingerprints, so a board mounted out of reach still looks right after years of weather and sun.
Large format speed boards are usually the most expensive item in any radar setup, and this line sits well below the wireless sign packages built around other radar brands. That is why school districts, parks departments and racing venues keep landing on it when a stadium board has to fit a real budget. For a permanent outdoor installation, get in touch before ordering so we can go through the mounting position with you.
One Radar In, One Number Out
Both versions take a single radar data port over CAT5 and RJ45. That is the practical difference from the 8 inch DL834, which accepts four radars at once and displays the fastest of them. If two guns have to feed one board, the DL834 is the display that does it. If one radar covers the job and the number has to reach the back row, this is the board.
Any Sports Radar gun or detector with a data port drives it, including the SR3600 and SR3800 guns and the DT100, DT200 and DT300 detectors. Cable runs are built from 25 foot and 50 foot CAT5 lengths with an RJ45 coupler at each join, and mounting hangers are installed on the back of the unit. Power comes from a 5 amp 12VDC supply, and spare or replacement power adapters are listed separately.
Who the 18 Inch Red LED Speed Display Is For
This is an institutional purchase. Baseball stadiums, college programs and large tournament complexes install it where the crowd is spread across a grandstand and a 12 inch board would leave the back rows guessing. Drag strips and racing venues run it as a trap speed display, where the 199 version is the only sensible choice. Municipal speed display projects use it for the same reason: an 18 inch digit reads from a long way off, day or night.
If the audience sits closer in, spend less and buy smaller. The 12 inch display is rated at 650 feet, the 8 inch DL834 at about 350 feet, and the 4 inch DL431-R at about 200 feet. To buy a gun and a board together, the SRDL-1836-KIT and SRDL-1838-KIT pair a gun with the 199 version of this display, while the SRDL-36-KIT and SRDL-836-KIT do the same with the smaller 4 inch and 8 inch boards.
Planning the Install
Start from the seats and work back. Fix the viewing position first, then the height and angle of the board, then where the radar sits, and only then the cable path. Measure the real cable route rather than the straight line distance, because a run that drops down a pole, follows a fence line and climbs into a press box is always longer than it looks on the drawing.
Give the radar the geometry it needs as well. A gun or a detector reads most accurately close to in line with the flight of the ball or the direction of travel, so a position square behind the pitcher, behind the plate or straight down the lane beats an angled mount off to one side. Plan the power drops with the cable route, and label both ends of every run.
Sports Radar 18 Inch Red LED Speed Display Specifications
- Digit height: 18 inches, red LED, on both versions
- Reads up to 99 version: model DL1811, two digits, 1 to 99 MPH or KPH
- Reads up to 199 version: model DL1812.5, 2.5 digits, reads up to 199
- Viewing distance: 1,000 feet, day or night, on both versions
- Auto dimming sensor: on the reads up to 199 version
- Construction: .090 aluminum case, white powder coat, 1/8 inch red plexiglass cover, velvet text overlay
- Data input: single radar port, CAT5 and RJ45
- Compatible sources: any Sports Radar gun or detector with a data port, and NFSC radar units
- Power: 5 amp 12VDC power adapter included
- Mounting: hangers installed on the back of the unit
- Radar gun: not included on either version
- Warranty: 1 year limited
- Made in the USA
What's Included
The display ships with its 5 amp 12VDC power adapter. There is no radar gun or detector in the box, so add one to the order along with the CAT5 cable needed to reach the board. The SRDL-1836-KIT and SRDL-1838-KIT are the matched packages if you would rather buy the gun, the 199 board, the adapter and a cable together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will it show a speed over 99?
Only the reads up to 199 version. The two digit DL1811 stops at 99 and cannot display a three digit number, so a 100 MPH pitch or a car speed will not appear on it. The DL1812.5 is the version to order for anything that breaks 100.
Which version should I buy?
Buy the 199 version for stadium baseball, college and showcase events, for any automotive or drag strip use, and for hockey and lacrosse shot speed. Buy the 99 version only when nothing in front of the radar will reach triple digits.
How far away can it be read?
Up to 1,000 feet, day or night. That is the longest viewing distance of any display in this line and about three times what an 8 inch board covers.
Does it come with a radar gun?
No. It is a display only. Pair it with an SR3600 or SR3800 gun, or a DT100, DT200 or DT300 detector, and connect the two with CAT5 cable. The SRDL-1836-KIT and SRDL-1838-KIT bundle a gun with the 199 version of this board.
Can I connect two radar guns to it?
No. Both versions have a single data port. The 8 inch DL834 is the display that accepts four radar inputs and shows the fastest of them.
Will it be too bright at night?
The reads up to 199 version has an auto dimming sensor that lowers brightness as ambient light falls, so it stays readable in daylight without glaring under lights after dark.
How does it mount?
Hangers are installed on the back of the unit. Settle the viewing angle, the power drop and the cable route before install day, and contact us first if the board is going into a permanent outdoor position.