Radar training

[matt1]

I've not used radar before but am about to fit B&G Halo 20+

I'm fitting it primarily so I can do extended singlehanded passages by using it as a proximity alarm to wake me up (it will be wired to a 100db alarm) but of course there are loads of other benefits beyond just avoiding collisions (squalls / navigation etc) and the Halo 20 looks a nice piece of kit that I would like to get the most from

I'm sure it will be reasonably intuitive but I think I should attend a course and learn it properly, although I've heard (from someone in the know) that the RYA syllabus isn't great and should probably be re-written. Does anyone have any comments? Are all radars essentially the same or will I learn on one brand (or simulator) and then struggle to convert to my particular set?

Any recommendations either for online providers or local to Southampton radar training providers?

Cheers

 

[capnsensible]

I reckon modern smal boat radars are quite straightforward. Loadsa interesting vids on YouTube. How to use small boat radar brings up a lot of them.

I taught myself. Used a couple of different sets and went out on calm days, setting aside time just to operate the radar. I found it very useful to see the contacts visually and see them on the screen. Then putting on the range marker and bearing line to see what changes. Plus manouvering myself. Nothing like, of course, a bridge watch keeper on a ship! But I keep practising.

Have used radar quite a bit in restricted visibility for navigation too. It's very good.

 

[Achosenman]

I've not used radar before but am about to fit B&G Halo 20+

I'm fitting it primarily so I can do extended singlehanded passages by using it as a proximity alarm to wake me up (it will be wired to a 100db alarm) but of course there are loads of other benefits beyond just avoiding collisions (squalls / navigation etc) and the Halo 20 looks a nice piece of kit that I would like to get the most from

I'm sure it will be reasonably intuitive but I think I should attend a course and learn it properly, although I've heard (from someone in the know) that the RYA syllabus isn't great and should probably be re-written. Does anyone have any comments? Are all radars essentially the same or will I learn on one brand (or simulator) and then struggle to convert to my particular set?

Any recommendations either for online providers or local to Southampton radar training providers?

Cheers

TBH don't bother unless you are doing a Yachtmaster course. The syllabus is geared around old technology. You spend a lot of time doing plots etc. The modern stuff is not mentioned to any useful degree. You will likely be asked to plot a radar track on the Yachtmaster practical exam. (All the candidates on the boat were) That was the only useful bit about the course for me. (I did use radar in professional aviation though)

Modern radar like the Raymarine CHIRP 2 (Doppler) have capabilities that make the RYA radar course irrelevant IMHO.

Hamble School of Yachting would be my personal recommendation.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

You could start here if you like: Essential Boat Radar.

I should declare an interest here: I wrote it.

It contains quite a lot of suggested practical exercises.

 

[johnalison]

I have used radar for twenty years or so without training. Although there are some points that could be useful that I haven’t covered, I don’t feel the need to make a proper plot of a target the official way, when marking it on the screen and putting a bearing line on it serves the same purpose.

The important thing, whether with training or without, is to practice extensively, or ‘playing’ as my wife called it. Every time we had a quiet motoring leg and I had nothing better to do I would sit at the radar and fiddle with it, getting use to the controls, range, gain, rain clutter and so on. The automatic settings will work, but are only a starting point. I suggest trying to pick up all the smallest targets around, buoys, fishing boats, even birds. Also get used to taking bearings of nearby craft and working out their courses. I have Marpa, but in practice this has been superseded by AIS, but plotting boats is still necessary. I used to enjoy marking boats’ positions as waypoints and timing the gap to measure their course and speed. One day you will want the radar in earnest, and familiarity is your chief ally.

 

[matt1]

Thanks everyone, that's saved me £150 ;-)

 

[TernVI]

I think it can be a bit like traditional nav.
You might no actually go around drawing cocked hats and all that, but understanding the fundamental principles is generally a 'Good Thing'.

 

[matt1]

You could start here if you like: Essential Boat Radar.

I should declare an interest here: I wrote it.

It contains quite a lot of suggested practical exercises.

Ordered. It better be good ;-)

 

[ashtead]

I had only used a furuno set with open array and I think a 48mile range when crossing the med being trained on watch by the skipper. When I acquired a new boat I shelled out for radar and attended a very hands on course for a day at Raymarine more to get to know about the device than radar detail but found it a really helpful course. It wasn’t presented by raymarine but used their facilities and kit . It might not help much if buying another brand and I don’t know if they still do these courses but the instructor really made it along with up to date raymarine kit. Sadly I don’t really use it much unless crossing channel at night and AIS has somewhat taken over for me on daylight crossings .

 

[Never Grumble]

I reckon modern smal boat radars are quite straightforward.

Nothing like, of course, a bridge watch keeper on a ship!

Have used radar quite a bit in restricted visibility for navigation too. It's very good.

I came from a background of chinagraph pencils for plotting other ships and parallel chinagraph lines for navigating, it was hard work at Portland trying to keep up on the short legs in the training nav tracks, at the same time managing a bridge team and ignoring the training staff. By contrast a couple of years ago I used a modern plotter Raymarine with radar overlaid and to be quite honest it was so easy to use, both for ship movement and location stuff. On my own boat I have an old Furuno and its like being back in the dark ages. For the OP wait until you get it fitted and working, you might find it more intuitive than you are expecting, then try it out every now and then to keep your skills up.

 

[Gary Fox]

I found the course excellent, maybe because it was at Gravesend Sea Training College, where they have a ship's bridge sim to play with which was great fun. And it was only £100. Warsash and other places which offer STCW courses probly have the same.
There are plenty of books as said above, personally I benefited a lot from the course.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Ordered. It better be good ;-)

It is! Let me know how you get on with it, contact through Aztec Sailing website.

 

[st599]

The RYA Course was meant to be updated, but I think the Pandemic got in the way.

One issue is the Simulator - it allows you to play with an 80s CRT or a very early Raymarine LCD with the worst User Interface known to man.

One idea that was mentioned by an attendee at the Training Seminar was to use an open source Nav Aid like OpenCPN which has an option for encrypted charts (so the RYA could sell a vector version of its training charts) and has a modern Interface for Radar and AIS. The simulator would then be something that ran in the background spitting out fake GPS, AIS and Radar data to be displayed on the Chart Plotter software, rather than trying to build it from scratch. Who knows if the RYA will take it up or not.

 

[dunedin]

As others have said, key thing is to have a play and practice with it in days with good visibility initially, so you can see objects visually and compare to what you see on the screen.

 

[ryanroberts]

I managed not to hit anything while relying on 90s videogame experience and a few plays in clear weather pretty much, old raymarine kit, the newer stuff is bound to be even simpler.

 

[pvb]

In coastal use, the radar/chart overlay function makes the radar image much easier to understand.

 

[prv]

I think it can be a bit like traditional nav.
You might no actually go around drawing cocked hats and all that, but understanding the fundamental principles is generally a 'Good Thing'.

I think that’s a good analogy - I do use the fundamentals I learned on the RYA course even when using my fancy new Quantum radar with automatic target tracking. However, I don’t think the course is a good value way of learning those fundamentals because so much of the rest of it is indeed outdated. Reading a good book seems a decent middle ground.

Pete

 

[Sandy]

I have a Raytheon R10 X onboard, quite sure Noah's dad had it before me. It came with the boat and is a cracking bit of kit, but I never quite understood how to use it. Took myself of on the RYA course and had a brilliant and challenging day working out plots and getting the fundamentals straight in my head. Being able to turn to the instructor and ask questions is why I prefer that sort of training.

 

[LadyInBed]

One of the most useful things I discovered using my twenty year old JRC was using the 'short trail', it holds intermittent contacts on the screen long enough for me to identify where it is on the screen when it alarms in the guard band.
Modern units might not have this problem.

 

[Uricanejack]

My recommendation would be take the course, it will be 150 well spent. It won’t be as out of date as the course I took back in 1980.
it will explain the basic functions and how to set it up properly. When you turn it on,
the course will be generic with a particular set for an example.
the location of the buttons, will vary, but the functions will be similar.

After learning how to set it up it, the course will explain how to use the radar, for radar plotting of other vessels and for navigation.
it will explain such things as
Head up,
North up.
stabilized
it should mention MARPA, and ECDS, if it does or not I don’t know, Even if it doesn’t like many things understanding the basic principles of why something works. Helps

it will also give you some practice of using these techniques, which will help when you head out on the water.

while many people can get it all from a book or youtube. I always think a course is a good thing.

look up any of the Marine Collages, They used to offer courses, in their Radar and Simulator for small boat operators.
perhaps some still do.m