rob2
Well-Known Member
I'm all for drinking myself a radar reflector, but surely you'd have to inflate the bladder inside the box to create a corner reflector?
Rob.
Radar reflector - new rules?
- Thread starter Fimacca
- Start date
I'm all for drinking myself a radar reflector, but surely you'd have to inflate the bladder inside the box to create a corner reflector?
Rob.
EdWingfield
Well-Known Member
I have a 2L pop bottle which I have filled with scrunched up aluminium foil balls. It awaits trials.
A friend wished to buy a reflector for a small yacht. He read all the gumph and purchased a Viking tri Lens. At sea he called up a passing cruise ship and asked the OOW to confirm he showed up on the radar. The OOW replied negative. - this was at 1M, smooth sea and no rain. Friend was not best pleased.
It might be interesting to ask the local lifeboat, when he is on exercise, to check your visibility?
A friend wished to buy a reflector for a small yacht. He read all the gumph and purchased a Viking tri Lens. At sea he called up a passing cruise ship and asked the OOW to confirm he showed up on the radar. The OOW replied negative. - this was at 1M, smooth sea and no rain. Friend was not best pleased.
It might be interesting to ask the local lifeboat, when he is on exercise, to check your visibility?
Seajet
...
I have been in fog in the shipping lanes ( didn't enjoy it one bit, we could hear the engines of ships for some way off, had an old octahedral reflector under a spreader but that was it - we went into the separation zone and tacked to and fro there until daylight and the fog cleared ) so I take this seriously.
As soon as I could afford it, and suitable kit became available, I got a small radome JRC radar; my 22' boat has limited electrical pwer, but these sets have a relatively low drain LCD display, and can be left on standby - no way could I trundle along with it on all the time, but i can use it in bursts to have looks around.
That was fitted before AIS and active transponders were available.
I intend to get a VHF with AIS receiver, meanwhile have a tubular reflector, for windage reasons and the ' might do some good but don't rely on it ' approach.
I carry the octahedral job folded, and would rig it under a spreader crossing Channel etc in poor vis ( if caught out, I don't set off in poor vis ).
A big Blipper type reflector would be too much weight & windage to nail to the mast, and take up too much cabin space to stow & hoist as required.
I also fitted silver foil between the cabin deckhead and lining, on the same ' may help ' approach as the makeshift chaff mentioned.
I'm quite a safety concious person, but there are limits to wallet, electrical power etc; I would rather have the active radar myself and rely on my lookout, than on just passive reflectors, and of course the radar is handy for nav etc too.
As soon as I could afford it, and suitable kit became available, I got a small radome JRC radar; my 22' boat has limited electrical pwer, but these sets have a relatively low drain LCD display, and can be left on standby - no way could I trundle along with it on all the time, but i can use it in bursts to have looks around.
That was fitted before AIS and active transponders were available.
I intend to get a VHF with AIS receiver, meanwhile have a tubular reflector, for windage reasons and the ' might do some good but don't rely on it ' approach.
I carry the octahedral job folded, and would rig it under a spreader crossing Channel etc in poor vis ( if caught out, I don't set off in poor vis ).
A big Blipper type reflector would be too much weight & windage to nail to the mast, and take up too much cabin space to stow & hoist as required.
I also fitted silver foil between the cabin deckhead and lining, on the same ' may help ' approach as the makeshift chaff mentioned.
I'm quite a safety concious person, but there are limits to wallet, electrical power etc; I would rather have the active radar myself and rely on my lookout, than on just passive reflectors, and of course the radar is handy for nav etc too.
st599
Well-Known Member
I think his point is that if you have 2, you'll get destructive interference causing big nulls in certain directions.
lw395
Well-Known Member
People only ever read the easy pages of the Qinuseless report.
Because the radar on a ship like the Bilbao is so high up, there are huge gaps in short range coverage with small low targets such as a radar reflector.
EdWingfield
Well-Known Member
So Mr LW, are you saying that yottie radar reflectors are useless at close range in fog?
It would back up my friends experience.
It would back up my friends experience.
Triassic
Well-Known Member
I think what he is saying is that you need to be aware of limitations in every system and not make any assumptions that just because you have fitted some fancy expensive device it's going to ensure you are seen. Ultimately I take the view that the only person I'm prepared to entrust my safety to is myself, I'm certainly not going to rely on some dopey ships crew to be studying a screen watching for a faint contact.....
sailorman
Well-Known Member
1 is12ft up the mast as req at the spreaders the other is another 32ft higher.
I dont imagine there will be an issue unless were on our beam-ends :encouragement:
Some here also "get too far under the bonnet"
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lw395
Well-Known Member
Not really, because in fog I'm more concerned about smaller vessels, which are harder to avoid than the big ones which stay in the deep channel and have AIS.