Radar cross channel

[IanR]

Dear All,

I am intent on an August trip to the Channel Islands and Cherb. peninsula for the Summer holiday this year. As part of the regular safety review on board (Liferaft, jackets,harnesses, flares etc) I am seriously thinking of fitting a Radar.

My question is can I really get a good value radar for less than a grand (JRC1000 / 1500) and is this money well spent ?

Can I ask the audience ?

 

[tcm]

I think that the cheap and nasty ones are fine. Radars tend to either "work" or "not work". The JRC was favourably reviewed in one of the mags. Some people whine about visibility on cheaper sets but I had LCD autohelm thing which was fine and much less confusing than weird colour stuff. Think radar ranks up there almost with liferafts as essential gear, and certainly if only had a grand for gps and radar, i'd have a 100quid handhel gps and rest on radar and reflectors.

 

[ParaHandy]

Fit JRC1500 although you'll have to fit it yourself to keep price <£1000. Not difficult to do and easier than some others because both power and signal leads are not hard wired to the display. Make sure you calculate cable length correctly - it comes in 10, 15 & 20 mtr lengths - and err on side of caution. You will have to cut it and rejoin in a junction or potting box and there is an article about doing this, with a JRC1000 which has identical cable count, in one of the *motor boat* mags (search ybw copy service - don't waste your money on ym or pbo group test).

As to how it works - perfectly OK for what you describe. The JRC instruction manuals are not good so you might want to buy Bartlett's book or some other. Do follow his advice about gaining experience beforehand before using it when *you* need it. Interpreting the images are not that obvious. Seems lots of sea gulls drink irn-bru!

JRC sets are cheap and cheerful - not cheap and nasty. Troll thro' google for the USA group test of radars including JRC1000/1500. The set was highly recommended and not just because of it's low price. The 1500 has much better resolution due to narrower beam.

 

[JeremyF]

Ive just ordered a JRC 1500, after a Best Buy rating in YM. £859 is the lowest Ive seen, 2 of the companies on the ybw shopping quay have it at this price. £120 for a mounting bracket. Approx £300 for fitting, as its time-consuming apparently.

Given the cost of the bracket and fitting, I didnt think it worth saving £200 by choosing the lower definition JRC 1000, however if mast weight / size is an issue, then the 1000 might be preferable

Jeremy Flynn

 

[AndrewB]

I'd also support the view that a cheap radar will be fine for ship-dodging in the channel. It will pick up ships at least 6m away, plenty of time to make decisions.

A top-of-the range radar scores in two respects. First, it is much easier to differentiate sizes of vessels. A high speed motor yacht or ferry that rips towards you at speeds impossible to avoid (and probably illegal in dense fog) is an instant cause of panic with a cheap radar. Second, it is better for navigation, since it will give an accurate picture of coastline, enabling bearings to be taken on headlands etc. On a cheap radar, the coastline is no more than a set of smudges.

 

[vyv_cox]

What do you mean by top-of-the-range? Are you talking mega-bucks or is there a significant difference between say 1000 pounds and 2000? and do you agree that the colour versions don't add much? I shall probably buy towards the end of this years and still going through the decision making process.

Vyv

 

[jimi]

I'm currently buying radar & finding the cost escalating! I want it in the cockpit so I can see it from the steering position so I am getting a Navpod to fix it on as there is no remaining room on the binnacle. I will also need a longer cable plus a fitting to mount the Navpod on. This plus fitting is adding an extra £800 to £900 to the cost!

 

[AndrewB]

I'm talking of the difference between a 1.5kW LCD radar versus a 4kW CRT radar. I've owned and used both types over the last 10 years, including a number of pea-soup crossings of the Dover Straight.

Can't comment on colour as I have never navigated using one, but those I've seen on ships where there is a lot of detail to display do look as if they have advantages.

 

[jfkal]

Got a remanufactured Raytheon at 800 USD. Works great for me.

 

[ParaHandy]

I know, it's such a sore fecht having to decide where the decanter, wine chiller, trouser press etc can go on my binnacle......it's just too, tooo tiresome...!!!

 

[summerwind]

I went through this agony myself. Asked a lot of questions, got a lot of different answers. Finally settled on the 4.5Kw CRT. Very glad that I did.

Not only can I dodge the ships in the channel, I could get into St Peter Port in really bad viz. Shop around - you may well find a good deal.

Good luck.

 

[jimi]

Dearie me ,Ah've goat it a' wrang. Ah'll move her upstairs & pit the radar doon. That'll save a groat or twa! Ah'm jist aff tae hing masell jist got ra final quote for the extra fitting ... £340

 

[brianhumber]

Bought a JRC 1500 two years ago, and never looked back. Has given me great peace of mind, several times vis has dropped suddenly, switch the radar on and after 80 secs all is displayed. I find I never use the range above 6 miles so no need to fit high up the mast, I mounted mine as high as my single span ladder would reach on the mast just below the lower stay fixings.

 

[LadyInBed]

I fitted a JRC 1000 for the start of this season. Used it in fog going to CI's last Bank Hol and it was great.
The 'Target Tail' and 'Target Image Enhancer' are very useful features for the lower power sets.
The 'Guard Band' saves you having to keep glancing at it if you are short/single handing.
I mounted the display in a hinged box which I made to fit on the bulkhead just inside the companionway so it can be viewed when inside or out at the helm.
I connected it to the A/H and GPS using telephone wire. As I had to run it around the cabin head lining (10 mtrs) I gave it a try with (external) telephone cable to see if it would cope with the distance, it worked OK without problem, so saw no reason to replace it with anything better.

 

[IanR]

Thanks to everyone for the constructive advice, I was also thinking of dual mounting the display in the cockpit for short handed sailing. I understand that apart from the mounting components, that the real cost is in either a fully functioning remote display which drives the costs in to a different league, or what I envisaged was a Y cable from the mast foot running back to a socket in the cockpit.

Unfortunately my simple solution seems slightly impaired by needing a weather proof socket for 11 or more cables some carrying the odd couple of hundred volts...

It seems like a budget option will be a radar with guard band and frequent views through the companion way.

Fair winds and good vis!

Thanks
Ian

 

[Oldhand]

I would answer NO to your question, "cheap and cheerful" radars are not worth it when you can get the very good cheapest Raymarine RL72 package for £1250 or less. This is the first low cost radar I have used which I would describe as being very worthwhile, within the limitations of its 5.2 degree beam width. Smaller radomes mean wider beamwidth and thus less angular resolution, this can easily make 2 ships appear as one among other things. Furthermore, in the conditions you are most likely to use a radar, how functions like sea and rain clutter filters work can determine if you see a target or not. The RL72's filters are excellent and it certainly produces better images than big ships' radars of 20 - 30 years ago.

Of course the radome installtion has a lot to do with the quality of dispaly you get. For example, I have seen several yachts with their radomes mounted exactly level with the lower spreaders. Imagine the radar beam as that of a search-light, would you put the spreaders in the way?

Also, if your boat is likely to be heeling a lot, consider the vertical beamwidth of the antenna. If you are not careful you can be looking for aircraft to windward and whales to leeward and see nothing on the sea surface unlees you have a radome tilting mechanism.