POKEMON DIAMOND, PEARL AND PLATINUM POKE RADAR GUIDE

Right as you receive the National Dex, you will receive the Poke Radar, too. The function of this handy Key Item is to point out where in grass you can find Pokemon. These can point out rare Pokemon, and some Pokemon are only available by using this.

The Poke Radar can only be used in normal grass that wild Pokemon appear in. "Normal grass" does not include surfing on water, being in a cave/building, or very tall grass. You also cannot use this while you are on your bike. Furthermore, after you use it, it requires a 50-step recharging period before you can use it again (which can be done on the bike).

When it is used, you will see multiple squares of grass start to rustle for a second. Some might rustle more violently than others, and these indicate a better chance to find a rare Pokemon. Once you enter one of these squares, a battle will begin. However, these are not the only squares you can still find Pokemon in. If you don't use a Repel, you can still find Pokemon in normal encounters.

After a Radar-induced wild Pokemon battle that resulted in a catch or fainting of the wild Pokemon (ie, you cannot run away), the Radar will start up again, and more grass will rustle. At this point, you will have a good chance of seeing the same species of Pokemon if you choose a patch of grass that rustled in a similar way and farther away. So, if it rustled easily the first time, make sure it moves easily the next time. If you do not encounter the same Pokemon, you will not be able to do this again. This is commonly known as chaining. In order to continue chaining, you'll need a Repel; a normal battle breaks the chain.

Shiny Pokemon can also be detected by using the Poke Radar. These will produce a sparkle when the grass rustles, so make sure you keep an eye out for those, too. If you manage to get a good chain going, the chances of seeing a shiny Pokemon increases dramatically. For more information, see our Shiny guide.

Here is a list of Pokemon that must be obtained with the Poke Radar in each area, including version notes:

Pokemon	Location	Version
Aron	Fuego Ironworks	Diamond and Platinum
Bagon	Route 210 (Fog)	Pearl and Platinum
Baltoy	Route 206	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Ditto	Route 218	Diamond and Pearl
Dusclops	Route 224	Diamond and Pearl
Duskull	Route 224	Diamond and Pearl
Flaaffy	Route 222	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Grimer	Route 212 (Rain)	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Hoppip	Fuego Ironworks	Pearl
Hoppip	Route 205 (South)	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Hoppip	Route 205 (North)	Diamond
Houndoom	Route 214	Pearl
Houndoom	Route 215	Pearl
Kecleon	Route 210 (Fog)	Diamond
Kirlia	Route 203	Diamond and Pearl
Kirlia	Route 204 (South)	Diamond and Pearl
Kirlia	Route 209	Platinum
Larvitar	Route 207	Diamond
Loudred	Mt. Coronet (Snowing)	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Mankey	Route 225	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Mankey	Route 226	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Mareep	Valley Windworks	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Mightyena	Route 214	Diamond
Mightyena	Route 215	Diamond
Miltank	Route 209	Diamond and Pearl
Miltank	Route 210	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nidoran F	Route 201	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nidoran M	Route 201	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nidorina	Valor Lakefront	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nidorina	Route 221	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nidorino	Valor Lakefront	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nidorino	Route 221	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Nincada	Eterna Forest	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Piloswine	Route 217	Platinum
Poochyena	Route 214	Platinum
Primeape	Route 225	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Primeape	Route 226	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Ralts	Route 203	Diamond and Pearl
Ralts	Route 204 (South)	Diamond and Pearl
Sentret	Route 202	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Skiploom	Fuego Ironworks	Pearl
Skiploom	Route 205 (North)	Diamond
Slowpoke	Route 205 (North)	Pearl and Platinum
Smeargle	Route 208	Platinum
Smeargle	Route 212	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Snorunt	Acuity Lakefront	Diamond and Pearl
Snorunt	Route 216	Diamond and Pearl
Snorunt	Route 217	Diamond and Pearl
Stantler	Route 207	Pearl and Platinum
Sunkern	Route 204 (North)	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Swablu	Route 211 (East)	Diamond and Pearl
Swellow	Route 213	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Tauros	Route 209	Diamond and Pearl
Tauros	Route 210	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Togepi	Route 230	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Torkoal	Stark Mountain	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Torkoal	Route 227	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Trapinch	Route 228	Diamond and Pearl
Tyrogue	Route 208	Diamond and Pearl
Tyrogue	Route 211 (West)	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Venomoth	Route 229	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Venonat	Route 229	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Vibrava	Route 228	Diamond and Pearl
Wobbuffet	Lake Verity	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Wobbuffet	Lake Valor	Diamond, Pearl and Platinum
Wobbuffet	Lake Acuity	Diamond and Pearl