Upgrading Raymarine radar to digital

[Minchsailor]

It looks as if my RD218 analogue scanner is US. I could get it repaired, or one of fleabay, both for about £650, which has the advantage of using the existing mast cable.

OR I could bite the bullet the spend c£1000 on new digital scanner which will require new cable. Also require a join at the foot of the mast. New cable seems to be standard Seatalk which is much smaller diameter then the present 13 way(?) analogue cable.

It looks as if the digital scanner will interface OK with my E120 plotter/display.

Mast is currently out of the boat on trestles in the yard, but I am wary of pulling new cables up the mast. In the boat is no great problem as they are all fairly accessible.

Is the improvement in performance of the digital that much better than the analogue?

Anyone done this?

 

[Lucky Duck]

A few years back I upgraded from one of the last of the Pathfinder radars which was U/S to a new digital one. Unfortunately my C120 'classic' plotter was not compatible with a new digital radar so I had to purchase one of the new C series plotters (C120) so it was difficult to make any direct comparisons between an analogue and digit radar.

IIRC the new radar used a Raymarine HS cable and one for a separate power supply.

 

[aluijten]

The digital domes make use of a 100Mbps Ethernet connection (Raymarine calles this Seatalk HS) and power supply leads combined into a single cable. You will need either Ethernet switch or a Ethernet coupler to connect it to the plotter, the latter basically flips the connection leads in the Ethernet cable as the plotter is not auto-sensing on the Ethernet port.
The basic radar has the same performance as your current one, although if I remember correctly the new one is 4kW pulse power and the old one is 2kW. So that improves range and clarity. The real improvement is in the HD version that carries a digital signal processor to enhance the signal received from the antenna. I'm not sure if that model is supported by the Classic E series.
I do like the Classic E-series as they are still "proper" plotters and not a complete entertainment center that they appear to have become nowadays. Operating a full feature plotter/radar is complicated enough without all the whistles and bells added to it. It also still has the classic Seatalk ports that current models are lacking.

 

[Talulah]

Having switched from Raymarine Analogue 2KW Radar to bottom end Raymarine Digital Radar I would say it's like chalk and cheese. The digital radar is so much better. The difference is significant.
For the cable connections just google Raymarine Digital Radar Scanner Cable - 5m and look at the images. The cable connects to the outside of the Radome making fitting easier. The cable itself is the same diameter but you'll see what looks like a network cable and power cable at the other end.
As mentioned above you'll need an Ethernet coupler to connect to the plotter.
Ours comes out at the bottom of the mast and then runs a foot along the deck before it enters the coach roof. This way it connects to the plotter without any joins other than the ethernet connector. The previously cable was a pain with it's main joins under the deck at the mast support.

 

[Minchsailor]

Talulah - Thanks, that's exactly the information I was looking for. Looks like it's £1000+. Never mind, it it is only 'boat money'....

 

[johnalison]

I updated from a B&W Raytheon set to an e7 with a 4kW "digital" scanner. It is certainly a great improvement, though my needs are not critical. A friend has one of these fancy fully digital sets with no warming-up time and the ability to detect a moth flying in your path. I'm sure it's wonderful but I'm happy with mine.