3G and 4g broadband radar

I once had a customer ask where the SIM card went :ambivalence: :D in his Simrad.

I have been doing my RYA course and radar subject popped up not too long ago, I have a Garmin onboard and it gives a really good display for anything I’ll ever need (not a huge requirement!) but out of everything long distance I’ve seen so far, in my opinion the analogue Furuno stuff gives the best display.

I was working recently on a Nordhavn with 2 Furuno open array systems and the owner was happy he could navigate anywhere in the world in any visibility with no worries, and does, regularly.

The commercial boats I work on also use the Furuno scanners.
 
I have a Simrad 3G radar. Works well though I dont see any performance advantages ( ie viewing) over a conventional set. The big gain is that its leccy consumption is so small it can be left on all the ime when sailing. And to me that is a big gain.

I like being able to overlay it on the plotter together with AIS.
 
matthewriches said:
in my opinion the analogue Furuno stuff gives the best display.
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Was that a like-for-like comparison, though? Sheer physics says that a wider radar scanner will always be better, so if you're comparing a 4' or 6' Furuno open array against an 18" Simrad radome, it's hardly surprising that the Furuno will win by miles.

Pete
 
Just fitted 4G B&G to my boat - very impressed - low power usage, quiet and 200 Ft out to 32 miles range via My B&G Zeus.
 
The B&G, Simrad and Lowrance kit is much the same, the only differences being in the display/plotter and the sticker on the radome.

As said the low power consumption, 1.5A for the 3G, is a huge asset on a yacht. The sets are also instant-on: no waiting for a countdown from 90. The close-range acuity is also impressive, with no ring of clutter like conventional radar: you can see buoys 30m away. It's sometimes said that there's a trade-off in long-range capability, but I can't say I've noticed.

Really lousy for making phone-calls, though ;)
 
macd said:
The B&G, Simrad and Lowrance kit is much the same, the only differences being in the display/plotter and the sticker on the radome.

As said the low power consumption, 1.5A for the 3G, is a huge asset on a yacht. The sets are also instant-on: no waiting for a countdown from 90. The close-range acuity is also impressive, with no ring of clutter like conventional radar: you can see buoys 30m away. It's sometimes said that there's a trade-off in long-range capability, but I can't say I've noticed.

Really lousy for making phone-calls, though ;)
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I'm a bit late with this :(

I agree with everything mac says - though I would add that though 3G picks up large commercial ships at 30nm, we have picked them up at 40nm, it is not so good with low coastlines (which it can miss completely until you are within about 10nm). However it will certainly pick up low coastline before you hit it, by which time you should have seen it with the naked eye and heard the surf. I don't know how good it is at picking up reefs that only just break the surface - but it does pick them up, but cannot recall the distance.

At close range it is superb, I can see our bowsprit and dinghy off the transom. The lower power and instant on are winners for us.

Jonathan

And happy New Year - may you have fair winds and flat seas.
 
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