Small Radars

[duckmanton]

Could l please have some opinions on small radars. I am looking at the JRC 1000 Aus$ 2350,1500 Aus $2860 also the Furuno 1622 $2900 as well as the more exspensive Raymarine SL72 plus Aus$ 3450.
I have never used a Radar so easy of use would be important.
I will be travelling across the Bight, to Tasmania and want some thing with a loud zone guard.
Regards Kevin

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[BrianJ]

Kevin.. talk to your local fishermen . they know what is best in that area and what type of backup sercvice you can get in Tassie or say Souh OZ..
Personally I like the Furuno. have seen tons of them on fishing boats in Tassie.
BrianJ

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[beneteau_305_553]

I have the furuno 1622 and find it excellent. easy to use and good guardwatch feature. low power consumption and clear display

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[billmacfarlane]

Does the Furuno or the JRC have ARPA , automatic radar plotting ? If not consider the Raymarine. I use the ARPA facility a lot and think it's a great tool.

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[Sybarite]

Concerning the JRC's I read a review somewhere some time ago which indicated that while the 1000 wasn't bad most felt that the extra investment in the 1500 was called for.

John

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[Chris_Stannard]

I have a RaYMARINE radar and find it very good. If you are only using it as a radar the monochrome display is more than enough and saves quite a bit of cash.

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[LadyInBed]

I have a JRC 1000 and find that it does all I wish of it. I thought about the 1500 but decided that the 1000 would be adequate. As it is the first radar I have used, I am coming to it with an open mind and have no benchmarks for comparison, but I have not been disappointed.

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[ArthurWood]

Nigel-I've had exactly the same experience w/my JRC1000

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[johnsomerhausen]

I have the Furuno 1621 since 1097 and it's given me good service (apart from the magnetron going belly up in 2000). The guard zone and watchman mode are really very satisfying and the alarm, though not very loud has a tone which is so irritating that it always wakes me up (I sail single-handed). Defrining the guard zone with the curosr is a bit tricky, you hhave to define an area and not just a line outside. But in the wathman mode, it will sound for echoes such as ships, rain squalls and even changed sea state. Its electronic bearing line alows you to see whether a ship is coming at you and also allows you to take a bearing and distance for a quick fix.
john_

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[duckmanton]

Hi Nigel, Arthur,and anyone else with a small radar, how loud is the zone guard, i.e will it wake you up.

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[vyv_cox]

Raymarine

I believe that only Raymarine have MARPA and it adds quite a bit to the cost. I agree that it looks very useful but so far don't have enough experience of mine to comment.

What I can say is that Raymarine's level of assistance in solving installation problems has been exemplary. I had a problem that turned out to be entirely my fault but they replaced the gyrocompass free of charge without a moment's hesitation, and while I still had possession of the supposedly faulty one. Their telephone helpdesk is good. They provided me with a series of resitance measurements by which I could check various components and advised on a "secret" help screen that is not shown in the manual by which I could verify other information. This contrasts greatly with some suppliers, although I have no experience with other radar makers.

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[billmacfarlane]

Re: Raymarine

It does add a bit to the cost but it's an excellent tool. I used it coming back from France with zero vis and it was brilliant not only to be able to see the boats but to work out which ones were on a collision course.

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[LadyInBed]

I would say so, providing you are in the vacinity and not a very heavy sleeper.
Though I reckon you would only be cat napping in these circumstances.

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