Bank Holiday Monday FOG plotter or radar?

[Oldhand]

Sounds like that if the vessel you couldn't see on the radar was close enough to hear, your radar sea clutter setting was turned up far too high. Sea clutter basically clamps down the radar receiver gain for targets close to your boat, how far this extends outward depends how much the control is turned up. Too much sea clutter combined with not enough gain and/or excessive rain clutter would make things even worse. Don't rely on the automatic settings on your radar if it has them. I think you need to reveiw all your radar settings, get accustomed to what they do and use them appropriately for the prevailing conditions.

Plastic boats are vey poor radar reflectors, i.e. stealthy, and should always carry a radar reflector. I believe it is now a requirement of maritime law that all small craft should mount a radar reflector "if practicable".

 

[hlb]

I try to avoid using rain or sea clutter as most anything just disapears with it, yet can still be seen through it. Main thing to get right is the gain, needs changing on each range setting, till just a hint of green. Ten nearly every thing shows up. Some boats do seem to have stealth tecnology though. I noticed well before the stealth bomber that some boats, yachts, strangely looking like stealth bombers, never showed up. Strangely even when small lobster pots were plain.

 

[rich]

My ideal radar would work between 3 miles and 3 feet off my bow.

 

[hlb]

No. Have to zoom in on it. Course cudn always go the other way. Bt Hmm. Who wants simplisity!!

 

[tcm]

Re: radar adjustment

erm, your plotter needs adjusting: you should be able to just about count the number of seagulls (if any) following the boat. A big mobo should most definitely show up at least as well as a boat with a radar reflector: big engines and metalwork should give a decent signal.

sepretly, best plan is to use the radar at every opportunity so that you know what other boats look like - and indeed recognise familiar landmasses too, using confirmations with a paper chart or plotter.

Like oldtimer at least, I am actually rather horrified at some of the remarks in this thread, and somewhat relieved that i am going on a trip with No1-Moose - and not with soem others who evidently have never been out in the dark, another time when you can't see further than the bows, fer chrissakes....

Sepretly again, altho i have the facility for overlay, it's crap: radar is only any use in "head up" orientation - so that the top of the screen shows what is in front. By contrast, few would want to read a chart in "head-up" orientation - most people use charts in North-up orientation. So, only any good if going er North.