Raymarine Quantum

[Momac]

Looks like Raymarine Quantum is a new type of radar.
http://www.raymarine.com/news/mynews.cfm?story=13701

I realise its new - but is this better than digital radar?

 

[Bru]

Looks like Raymarine Quantum is a new type of radar.
http://www.raymarine.com/news/mynews.cfm?story=13701

I realise its new - but is this better than digital radar?

Erm, it's as digital as any radar can get! (Radar is an inherently analogue technology at the sharp end, the digital bit comes from processing the radar returns at the scanner and transmitting the results digitally to the display / MFD as opposed to the processing being done at radar display unit)

I presume you really mean is it better than HD "digital" radar and more to the point is it better than Broadband radar

Yes, it's almost certainly better than HD radar - it has roughly comparable reduced energy consumption to Broadband and claimed similar capabilities

It may offer some advantages over Broadband in terms of target acquisition and definition at longer ranges because it appears to use a higher power short duration pulse rather then the low power continuous wave of Broadband but how it will stack up against Broadband on close in small target acquisition will only be known when someone does some head to head tests

Quantum is basically FLIR's (Raymarine) solution to key Broadband patents being held by Navico. FLIR have found another means of reducing power consumption and improving performance ("CHIRP" pulse compression, a technology already in use on their high end sonar products)

I suspect that on a stand alone comparison, Navico's Broadband radar (Simrad et al) will probably have the edge over FLIR's Quantum. Power consumption is definitely lower and the close in target definition may well be slightly better (to be seen, that one)

However, as part of an overall system Quantum gives the Raymarine suite a comparable radar product to Broadband, which it previously lacked

Both Quantum and Broadband offer significant advantages over earlier HD radar technology. Both technologies do away with the need for a heavy and slow to start up magnetron which is by far and away the biggest improvemnt

In summary, I would in all honesty struggle to choose between the two as a stand alone comparison. The decision on which technology to go for would be made by deciding on the preferred source of the rest of the system (and at present I'm loving the latest version of Raymarine Lighthouse and the Raymarine MFDs it runs on have, for me, an edge or several over the competition)

 

[Momac]

Thank you for the great detail f your reply.
I don't have radar at present but I do have a Raymarine e7 mfd .
So it looks like quantum radar would be easy to fit.
.

 

[Bru]

Thank you for the great detail f your reply.
I don't have radar at present but I do have a Raymarine e7 mfd .
So it looks like quantum radar would be easy to fit.
.

A very easy fit indeed and the obvious choice as you already have the E7

I haven't yet got hands on with the Quantum but it should require just a power cable to the scanner with connectivity to the E7 via WiFi (if the WiFi proves problematical then the Quantum can be connected via a standard Raynet cable but the WiFi shouldn't give any problems away from the dock. The only potential issue with it really is interference from other WiFi transmitters operating on the same frequency etc. which is unlikely to happen at any distance)