Radar Reflector: RNLI Get It Wrong

[nigelmercier]

I have just bought an ECHOMAX 230 BR RADAR REFLECTOR to replace my Blipper 210-7.

Before purchase, I considered that orange or yellow would be a good idea to aid visibility, although my boat-partners didn’t like this idea. While at the Boat Show, I asked the RNLI and they agreed. However, they came up with an alternative: to stick strips of retro-reflective tape around it, coloured as per navigation lights. I thought this an excellent idea, so bought the standard white model, and some reflective tape.

Thinking about this plan afterwards, it occurred to me that if the tape has metal particles, it could affect the operation of the reflector. I contacted EchoMax, and they advised that reflective tape is a very bad idea!

Just a warning in case anyone else has done this.

 

[VicS]

Reflective tape contains metal particles? Does it?

EchoMax say that reflective tape is a bad idea because of these metal particles?

 

[chanelyacht]

Some SOLAS tapes have a thin foil layer within them, although the most common one (3M) doesn't.

I really can't see this being an issue though - surely all the tape would do is cause radar to reflect from it, although I can see that if it was on a curve it may reflect the return in a direction other than originally intended. I think you'd need to put a heck of a lot of tape on something the size of an echomax to make a difference though.

What boat is it going on? For example, I've always thought it more ornament than use that the RNLI put them on Atlantic 85s, given the radar return generated by the A frame alone.

 

[sailorman]

Reflective tape contains metal particles? Does it?

EchoMax say that reflective tape is a bad idea because of these metal particles?

Wots inside the plastic container of the reflector then Vic

 

[raggy]

I am prety sure Solas and all other types of "Prismatic tapes" dont contain metal. There uses glass prisums hense the name.

Just because somethings shiny dose not mean its metal.

 

[VicS]

Wots inside the plastic container of the reflector then Vic

A vertical stack of (3) corner reflectors I believe. Pretty sure its not retro-reflective tape.

A bit like this

 

[lw395]

Even the dielectric loading of glass filled tape might be a bad idea. I say might, give me a week's money and I'll measure it for you.

The retro-reflective tape is a bluddy good idea, just stick it somewhere else.
I've often been able to locate my boat in dark anchorages by the retro tape on the liferings.
Amazing how few boats have this simple thing.

 

[Searush]

A couple of meters of reflective tape down each side of the mast sounds a good idea to me.

 

[nigelmercier]

Reflective tape contains metal particles? Does it?

EchoMax say that reflective tape is a bad idea because of these metal particles?

Yes, and yes. Inside the RADAR reflector are a bunch of bits of bent metal formed into wave guides, and angled to bounce the signal back. Metal tape could cause this wave to be scattered.

 

[nigelmercier]

I am prety sure Solas and all other types of "Prismatic tapes" dont contain metal. There uses glass prisums hense the name.

Just because somethings shiny dose not mean its metal.

I'm afraid you are wrong, in so many ways ...

 

[Fourbees]

Radar reflectors

Passive radar reflectors are rubbish anyway (not to be relied on, according to most tests) so a bit of tape probably makes no difference.

 

[SailBobSquarePants]

Hmmm...

Passive radar reflectors are rubbish anyway (not to be relied on, according to most tests) so a bit of tape probably makes no difference.

I read and re-read the Government report on radar reflectors taken up after the Ouzo accident before I bought mine. I just had to re-read it after your post. Here it is for the two or three people that might not have seen it yet:

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/Radar reflectors report.pdf

From that, we can deduce that yes, active target enhancers are more effective than passive, regardless of angle of heel.

But certainly the Large and Standard TriLens showed Good to Fair enhancement at nearly all angles of heel - and that is IN ADDITION to whatever returns you boat would normally receive.

The Echomax also did well, albeit at lesser angles of heel.

The Blipper a bit worse still, and the folding and tube types are probably not worth the windage.

But then again, ALL of these are an improvement on your boat's un-enhanced return. So then it is just down to cost, size, and weight...and battery power. But to conclude that all passive reflectors are not worth ANYTHING I believe is poor advice - especially as active reflectors use battery power, and are still very expensive.

I bought the Standard TriLens, as I plan on adding radar at some point, and my mast isn't huge - the Large would have been massive. And it's smallish size allowed me to move it up the mast, higher than an Echomax would fit without fouling the genoa.