Additional review of CED Millenium
I've had this chronograph for about 5 years now. While I've seen and used other brands once or twice, this is the only one I've owned, so my experience is biased by definition. Having said that...
This chrono came with a compartmentalized carry case, sensors, sunscreens, a digital LCD unit, sensor cables, and a 2' tripod-mountable folding bar to attach sensors and screens to. All very light-weight.
I bought a cheap/light camera tripod to mount it on. The unit is very easy to use and assemble. All you have to do is unfold the bar and attach it to your tripod. Then assemble the sunscreens and attach one to each sensor. Then attach the sensors to each end of the bar. Run the sensor cables back to the data collection unit, plug them in, and voila! You're ready to go! Well, you DO need a 9 volt battery. The unit even has a little extra space in the battery compartment to hold a spare battery - very handy if you're like me and can't find that spare that "I swore I had in my shooting bag".
I've only had one instance where the unit failed to properly read velocity due to very bright sunlight. I'm told this is a fairly common occurrence with chronographs in general. When it happened to me, I surmised it was due to light reflecting off the ground around the unit. I simply placed a cardboard IPSC target on top of the sunscreens to better shade the entire unit, and it worked just fine. Since then, I have purchased the infra-red option pack and I have yet to see a function failure in any lighting conditions.
The cords connecting the CPU to the sensors are about 20' long I think - plenty long enough to get the chrono sensors away from muzzle blast and still have the data collection unit sitting right next to you on the bench. Among many other things, I've used it to successfully measure a pistol in 357Mag, a braked pistol in 7mmWSM and a braked rifle in 338 Edge.
The bullet/arrow measurement aperture is very generous, which facilitates shooting at multiple targets without moving the chronograph. It also reduces my fear (and the chance) that the chronograph will get shot!
The data collection unit has infra-red and serial ports built in. The LCD screen uses large numbers/letters that are very easy to read, and large buttons for control. I've never used the infra-red port as I don't have an infra-red portable printer. I have used the serial port quite a bit. In conjunction with Hyperterm on a Windows computer, I have been able to download my shot data into a text file, then import it into Excel. That lets me hack and slash on the numbers until I'm dizzy!
I believe the unit I have will store up to 200 shots before needing to be downloaded or cleared - I'm not sure on the upper limit, as I've rarely come close to it. It also allows you to review shot strings and calculates some stats for you like extreme spread, high, low, avg., and standard deviation. It will even do a Power Factor calc for those IPSC folks.
All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase. I may well never try any other chronograph, as I can't think of a good reason to!
Best Regards,
Brian
