Radar Reflectors (again)

[BalmainBug]

With all this talk about the efficiency of radar reflectors, I thought to myself, surely, having a Radar transmitting on your boat would be quite effective, as your little radar bits would be picked up by the other boats as though they were their radar bits.

Does this work in practice?

Mark

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[capn666]

Mark
In order that a radar set can work properly it must reject the received signals from other sets, usually by an Interference Suppression control. You can normally switch this off and see the patterns on your screen from all other sets in the vicinity. However this does not give any discernible bearing or distance for the other vessels' sets, certainly on yacht radars (my only exp). You can only infer that you are being scanned so might be useful on ocean or well offshore passages.


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[Cornishman]

If that is the case how do radar transponders work? Surely the answer to Mark's question woud be some sort of transponder, but not one that could be mistaken for one in a liferaft.

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[Twister_Ken]

How it works

See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again

 

[capn666]

You are probably right - I am not a radar expert - but I was merely replying to Mark's original question pointing out why using an operating yacht radar did not provide a solution to being seen. At least that's what my radar set manual said and what my recent channel passage experience shows.

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[salamicollie]

RTE's, SARTs and Racons respond to the incoming radar signal and send a return pulse quickly enough and of a suitable length that they are seen on screen. The issue is the quickly.... the window is rather small (You are talking of responses in microseconds). Until the Sea Me, RTE's were rather expensive and power hungry and have to pretty well exactly replicate a suitable signal to make a normal blip. SART's and Racons send a modified signal that is a little easier to engineer.

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[Guest]

IF a radar showed other radar signals on it ---- you would have a mess of c...p on the screen and no discernible targets.

When you get interference from another set ---- it does happen very rarely - it tends to look like curved bike-spokes flashing out across the screen In fact it is called spoking.

Some will point out also that spoking can be caused by sticking scanner, other bits faulty etc.

Basically the answer is no.


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !