Radar update required

[PhilF]

Time to get one, questions
Screen Upstairs or downstairs, and which model.
Never expect to use it, its a just in case safety thing, but
Shouts :-
MUST GO ABROAD NEXT SEASON

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[Robin]

More info required please! How many crew and who will be the radar operator, ie is this person also skipper come driver as well and if so where from - up top or indoors?

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[PhilF]

Me and me and I always helm from outside, my radar arch is very low tho, worried about fried brains if used from upstairs

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[Talbot]

if you are helming from uptop, put the display there. The power comes out of the round fing what you secure to the radar arch /forums/images/icons/smile.gif If seriusly concerned about proximity of radar scanner to head, make sure that the system you buy is a 2kw one and not 4, and then you can stand within a couple of feet without any concerns.

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[Oldhand]

<make sure that the system you buy is a 2kw one and not 4, and then you can stand within a couple of feet without any concerns>

A bit of an over simplification IMHO, duration of radiation at such close proximity comes into the equation as well as radiated power. I wouldn't recommend a head being at a couple of feet from any microwave source for more than a few seconds.

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[Robin]

Then the display has to go up on the fly bridge, the head frying is another question, so a frame to raise the scanner height might relieve some worries.

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[Anonymous]

In practice one doesn't turn off the radar when going aloft and below so it would be best to mount the T/R in a safe position regardless of where you want the display. If you can con from below then maybe that's the best place but in a conventional sailing yacht it's pretty pointless having the display below if you are short/single handed most of the time. Consider a swinging mount to allow the display to be mounted in the companionway in that situation.

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[Talbot]

If you work out the duty cycle on the radar and the aerial rotation rate and then look at the average dose of microwave power, it will be less than most modern people get from their portable phone!

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[Sea Devil]

I really wish the screen of my radar was in the cockpit - so I could see it from the helm. They are really quite difficult to operate/interpret but a real life saver in thick fog or a dark night feeling your way into an anchorage.

Running up and down to look at the screen is n/g - putting a crew who really has no experience of the operating the thing is also n/g - get the screen as close to the helming postion as possible.

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[steverow]

Some may disagree, but consider the times when you are most likely to use radar,
and they will be when it's possibly far too wet or cold etc to use the flybridge, ie adverse conditions.
Generally there are very few times that you would be unable to helm from below,
but quite a few when the flybridge is just too uncomfortable.
If the visibilty is that poor that you need to use radar seriously then you might as well be driving slowly from below, with a crewmember on watch outside.
Lower helm everytime IMHO.

Steve.


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[macd]

I was in the same quandary as you. After much head-scratching I mounted the radar display on an articulated arm so that it can be seen from both the cockpit and nav station (although obviously not at the same time). Can't remember who supplied the arm, but I'll be glad to track them down if you wish.

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[Marsupial]

For very little cash compared to the cost of the whole instalation you can have a bracket and socket for the display mounted in both locations, certainly when vis is very bad you will want the display on top.

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[Wiggo]

Up. When you really need radar, you'll want to be upstairs for teh all round visibility, and so you can listen out for sound signals.

Ignore the fried brains thing, it's a red herring.

Now, as to what brand, what do you already have in the way of electronics? And where?

<hr width=100% size=1>Si hoc legere scis, nimium eruditionis habes.

 

[fireball]

Very interested in this cos we're contemplating putting a new installation on the boat - Sun Oddysey 30 - space is tight(ish) so were thinking of a combined chartplotter/radar - the raymarine series ... we currently have software chartplotter (maptech offshore nav) on an old laptop ....
contemplating the possibility of adding a 2kw scanner, external display under the sprayhood and possibly either a second display above the chart table or into a laptop/PC with a display above the chart table. But then this does seem a bit OTT for general cruising around the south coast with (proposed) occaisional channel hops...

What does everyone else use and what would they change to improve it?

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[PhilF]

I have cetrek plotter and auto pilot with the screen below and the autopilot repeater control on the flybridge - useless, so I have installed a Garmin plotter upstairs that I use for nav.



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[Wiggo]

With the Raymarine RL series kit you can repeat radar/plotter data to a laptop, but be aware that the interface kit and software is over a grand.

The new Raymarine C series kit is very good, from what I have seen, but no network capability (bit academic oin a yacht, no?), so that may be the way forward.

Plan B. Raymarine SL72CRC chart plotter/radar. Uses C-Map NT+ cartography. Display in the cockpit, but buy the C-Map card reader (about £150) that lets you read and display your C-Map cartridge on the laptop. You can do all your planning work, inc waypoints and routes on the laptop, then save to cartridge, unplug and take up to the Raymarine unit.

<hr width=100% size=1>Si hoc legere scis, nimium eruditionis habes.

 

[Wiggo]

Your choice of radar, then, really. If you have a colour Garmin plotter, then a mono radar is fine, assuming you have the mounting space. If not, then combine them into a single colour radar/plotter?

JRC for cheap mono radar, Raymarine C series if you want posh but won't repeat it downstairs, Raymarine RL series if you need to repeat it...

Seem to remember someone telling me that JRC build the Raymarine stuff (could be wrong, so don't sue me). Their operating systems are scarily similar, however.

<hr width=100% size=1>Si hoc legere scis, nimium eruditionis habes.

 

[Robin]

IMO the location requirement is different for powerboats where their speed is considerably faster, the flybridge option with maybe a repeater at the 2nd helm spot below is OK. On a yacht with much slower relative speed by comparison to shipping needs IMO more careful plotting of the radar picture and this is best done without distraction down below, you cannot concentrate on radar and helming at the same time. So on a yacht the main set should be below, it can often be positioned so it can be seen too from the cockpit, or with a repeater up top, but once serious plotting is required do it below. With radar the 'still' picture you see is not the whole story, what you need is the movie - ie it is the evolving picture you need to study, an occasional glance at the screen is fine to establish IF there is a need for closer study, but when there IS then that needs concentration and maybe some paper plotting down below. MARPA sets will help but personally I would be very wary of trusting these on small boat radar because the boats heading will be swinging too much and small boat compass feeds to the radar are not that good.

On our previous boat we had a CRT screen radar that was easily seen from the cockpit for general use, but serious plotting was done below. Our current LCD radar isn't as clear as the CRT screen but can just be seen from up top, once again serious plotting is done below the chart plotter is next to ther radar and we have a second autopilot control there as well. If we really need to plot seriously we have a plastic wipe clean plotting board with pre-printed compass rose and distance scales to use (made by Davies in the USA) but you can make up paper ones easily enough or even buy them in pads, again Davies USA I think, via West Marine.



<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[pvb]

Or new Raymarine E series...

Like the C series, but with repeat station capability (plus other goodies).

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[PhilF]

Re: Or new Raymarine E series...

Thanks all, time to go shopping,
PhilF

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