Budget Radar

[3reefs]

Previous posters have suggested one gets what one pays for, and buying cheap can be false economy. Having agonised about Radar for ages, I am just about to take the plunge.

However having difficulty with the notion that Raymarine might be twice as good as JRC (hence nearly twice the price). JRC (1000 MkII) is uncontested in its price range and appears to do what I am looking for (mono, no plotter, fairly easy to use).

I would like to hear from past and present JRC owners/users if this would be a sensible purchase, or if I might instantly wish I had found the extra 500 quids.

 

[Talbot]

Even cheaper in the states, but then there is a problem with the warranty
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.onlinemarine.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online_superstore/electronics/radar/jrc1000.htm?L+scstore+znwk7443ff1c341c+1075719592>http://www.onlinemarine.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online_superstore/electronics/radar/jrc1000.htm?L+scstore+znwk7443ff1c341c+1075719592</A> at a price of £562 (+ UK Taxes)

I like the look of this for a number of reasons:
acceptable price
lowest power consumption
lowest weight and profile for mast fit
will interface with your GPS for waypoint
clear display with no frills

however the small aerial means that its bearing accuracy is not good, and suspect that in poor weather (big waves), you would not get very good performance.

It also does not have some of the other wonderful gizmos that the more expensive ones have


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[exsparks67]

I had the same choise. Checked my first mate for ease of handling. She preferred the Furuna over the JRC, so the choise was made. The JRC 1500 and Furuna 1722 did not diver in price much but the JRC 1000 is cheaper, but as mentioned gives less. Furonu was good on the trip from Chebourg to the MED and still serves good and easy. I bought the set in Guernsy (less tax). Sofar my info.

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[ParaHandy]

worth noting that most radars were re-badged jrc kit ...

i bought the 1500 which seemed even better value and not much more cost. Whether the (M)ARPA stuff is worth the extra is not something i can offer advice on. I have failed to practice often enough to gain basic experience of using it eg gain, clutter etc and that's on this years must do list ...

fascinating early history of jrc. they developed radar before start of WWII but japanese admirals thought that a seaman with bins up a crows nest would be better so ignored ....

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[zefender]

I've got the 1500 which I bought from the US (for very big savings). I've found it a very good piece of kit which does nearly all the stuff you might want to do. The warranty is worldwide so no problems likely there either. Mines been on 2 years and all OK. Make sure you factor in fitting and adequate cable length options before making your choice though.

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[BlueSkyNick]

I've been thinking about radar for some time, and haven't yet made a purchase.

However, from all my research one of the most significant learning points is that monochrome is useless in the cockpit because it is wiped out by sunlight.

So if you go for your preference, you will need to mount it in the cabin.

<hr width=100% size=1>I like work - it fascinates me. I could sit and look at it for hours!

 

[steve_cronin]

I sat on the...

..loo this morning looking at the Raymarine catalogue they sent me "to prepare for the LIBS" but which arrived only last week.

having bought a Standard Horizon plotter at the show i was amazed to see the price of a comparative raymarine product.

I also checked on the radar prices to find that there isn't a package price as such and by the time you buy your display (min £1205) and your radome (min £900) your cable - cable? you'd surely get that included with the JRC? That was £109. Then there was the mounting bracket for the display at £42 (for a powder coated stirrup?).

No wonder that Andy who bought our old boat has had to stump up £4000 for his Raymarine installation.

Perhaps they see themselves as a sort of Barbour or Aquascutum of the marine electronics world. Well I hope that they've improved their reliability. Kit fitted to said old boat (Autohelm) all needed replacing under warranty within two years. Present kit on current boat has lasted though (Raytheon ST60, Ah3000/40000) but it doesn't get as wet as the previous one did.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[tony_brighton]

Have you narrowed down the usage you want from it? The budget radars are good for collision avoidance (e.g. crossing the Channel) and a simple mono radar with reasonable (16M) range would do the trick. If you want colour, interfacing with instruments and chart plotter overlays then its a lot more expensive. We've gone with the Furuno 1623 and a chart plotter.

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[steve_cronin]

Isn\'t....

...the point, do you NEED "... colour, interfacing with instruments and chart plotter overlays"

Raytheon pander to the "Boys' Toys" sector don't you think?

When you really need to know where you are to that level of accuracy on a small boat (say < 150ft) the best option is to look out of the window!

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Re: I sat on the...

I don't know the gear you are referring to, Steve, but the new Raymarine C series is a lot cheaper than their previous products.

For example, the 6" display which can be used for radar, plotter or fish finder, (all three at once if you wish) is only about a grand. Agreed you have to buy the radome on top of that, and the chartware of course, but at least Raymarine are now making their entry level models a little more affordable.

<hr width=100% size=1>I like work - it fascinates me. I could sit and look at it for hours!

 

[steve_cronin]

Only a grand eh?

and what about all the leads and the rest of the kit? then you've got to find a use for a fish finder on a cruising yacht.

The operable in your text is surely "...little more affordable"

Even after you've bought this overpriced "hob" with it's inferior "Gold Navionics" charting system the cheeky buggers impose a tax of £137 (shades of Bill Gates) for the gizmo to connect it to mainstream NMEA devices from other manufacturers.

Not impressed

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Re: Only a grand eh?

Fair comment abut the extras, and I don't want a fishfinder either, but I was demonstrating that it can be more than just a radar display, if necessary (unlike JRC's).

I understand your view but it is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>I like work - it fascinates me. I could sit and look at it for hours!

 

[charles_reed]

JRC

Used to make all Raytheon's 10 - 40 x and xx radars.

Those in the business reckon that they were the best to be offered by Raytheon (since become Raymarine).

So I'd definitely go for the JRC

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[steve_cronin]

But....

... in this affluent era of spending the legacies left by deceased parents who accumulated it through frugality, who is going to be seen with that square edged obvious "cheapo" on their mizzen when the cute iconic Raytheon radome can be had for only 120% (or more) more.

Hey, will a R't'on radome work with a JRC display?

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[jimi]

Wrong .. monochrome is perfectly visible in sunlight (SL72 display).

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[ParaHandy]

Bignick - it's definitely waterproof .. at least!

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Re: But....

I bought a Raytheon SL72 at LIBS. I had seen this online and had decided to use it as a benchmark for my RADAR purchase, I was still open minded when I arrived at Excel. I purposefully visited the Raymarine stand last.

I really liked the Furuno, though the 18" 24nm vesrion had a terrible LCD compared to its little brother. It was due for upgrade at some point in the future...but as it was it just seemed cheap even though it was a tad more than the raytheon. Furuno also are very uncomfortable about diy fitting. I was almost arguing for them to sell me one.

JRC, excellent prices, but felt and looked cheap. The user interface was horrible IMHO, too many on screen scrolling menu functions, to few quick keys. I just didn't like it at all. I am not being snobby here, I would have loved to say yes my RADAR cost £300 less, but to me, it was just not the right product.

The Raytheon SL72 IMHO is a leader in class, I have said in a previous post that the Simrad was a much nicer unit, but far to expensive for my needs. The MARPA function is something I believe I will use a lot. It should mean rather than plotting ships courses on paper plotters I can just let the RADAR do it for me (up to 10). This should allow me to concentrate more on running my vessel than being tied up at the radar. We all single hand on long passage, it just happens the crew is asleep.

The other function on Raytheon is the moving dislplay (can't remember its real term), this means the land for instance remains static and you move up the screen, it also means you have a real time view of other ships and the direction the are trully moving. I think this is something to I will use regularly, I am not sure the Furuno or JRC offered this function.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Top Cat Homepage</A>

 

[tony_brighton]

Re: Isn\'t....

Exactly my point. The option to have your radar plot overlayed onto your plotter cartography looks wonderful - but I couldn't justify it. And I'd rather be driving the boat looking out than having my head down over a screen.

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[Talbot]

I would be very interested in the wording of the warranty for your USA purchased JRC. When I was looking last year (had to put it on hold for the moment) I was informed that Marconi (who are UK service agents) would not deal with grey imports and it would have to be returned to the states for repair. A check with the main agency in Amsterdam aslo referred to US sourced items as grey imports.

It is interesting to note that the US JRC 1000 comes with only 10m of cable, whereas the UK spec has 15m - however I am sure this 5m of cable doesnt cost £300 /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[steve_cronin]

Monochrome LCD displays usually become more defined in bright sunlight. Only until the latest daylight colour screens became available were colour screens of any use at all in sunlight. I have just bought a sunlight visible screen for cockpit use but not until I was asbsolutely sure that it would work. We are in Greece!

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion