Rabbie
New member
I have an octahedral(?) radar reflector at the masthead. Does anyone know if painting it with dayglo paint would reduce its efficiency?
Dayglo radar reflector.
- Thread starter Rabbie
- Start date
G
Guest
Guest
No it wont /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
billcowan
Member
nothing will reduce its efficiency.
Not even if you beat it flat with a mallet, or cut it up for fishing lures.
Because it is now generally acceped and tests have shown that passive reflectors work no better tham prayer
Not even if you beat it flat with a mallet, or cut it up for fishing lures.
Because it is now generally acceped and tests have shown that passive reflectors work no better tham prayer
Topcat47
Well-known member
I don't know where you get that information from, certainly not the QinetiQ Tests. The only completely ineffective ones were the clear tubes with dihedral reflectors, I think Plastimo were marketing them.
Apparently if you stack two bog standard chandlery trihedrals properly and at 45 degrees to each other, you get quite an acceptable return. Of course there are a number of issues with trihedrals, which is why the QQ tests favoured reflectors with lens systems (although the EchoMax was also quite effective).
That said, a simple trihedral will only work if it is mounted correctly (Catchwater) and the more accurate the 90 degree angles between the surfaces, the better the return. They are all affected by angle of heel, which is why I never suggest fixed mounts for them.
This does not apply to the lens type. I cannot remember the name of the one tested by QQ, but the Cyclops is also a lens type and is the unit I have fitted to Snark. I checked it out twice this year as I am twitchy following the Ouzo incident. In both cases it was reported as providing a strong echo.
Apparently if you stack two bog standard chandlery trihedrals properly and at 45 degrees to each other, you get quite an acceptable return. Of course there are a number of issues with trihedrals, which is why the QQ tests favoured reflectors with lens systems (although the EchoMax was also quite effective).
That said, a simple trihedral will only work if it is mounted correctly (Catchwater) and the more accurate the 90 degree angles between the surfaces, the better the return. They are all affected by angle of heel, which is why I never suggest fixed mounts for them.
This does not apply to the lens type. I cannot remember the name of the one tested by QQ, but the Cyclops is also a lens type and is the unit I have fitted to Snark. I checked it out twice this year as I am twitchy following the Ouzo incident. In both cases it was reported as providing a strong echo.
