radar/chart ploters

[cooper]

Simple question.....? with most combination chart plotter/radars...can you NOT have the radome active when you are using the head unit..ie when you are using the unit as a chart plotter/ fish finder only? What brand do you know of ..what units. In particular Garmin and Koden. I have a very small window to find the anwser....A FEW HOURS.

[Hud3]

My Raymarine SL70RC works as a chartplotter without the radome being active.

[forsailbyowner]

look at the furuno vx2 it does radar overlay on the chart so I guess both would have to be active.

[cooper]

thanks to you both...what I want to be able to do is have the radome in a low position so that it does not shadow the solar panels and not be powered up ( but still use the plotter and fish finder) . I would like to then be able to raise the radome (all easy) in crapy weather or such, when the light to the panels is not an issue. I would prefer not to have excess radar emissions emanating at the perfect head height of myself and crew.

[Boomp]

Check out westmarines 'special' c-70 RD 218 2kw. Seems like it does it all.

[JiffyLube]

I have a Garmin 3210 plotter with 4KW radome, and I don't have to have the radar on to run the plotter. Am I missing something here? I thought all plotters operated separately from radar, unless you want to use an overlay.

[cooper]

Yes they can.....but...the question is....if the "unit" is wired up to the Radar , dose the magnetron start to get energized from the moment you turn the "head unit" on? I posted this question on eight different cruising forums in a row last night. I needed an answer straight away. I didn't get one !! The answers have been interesting. Both in terms of what people know about their gear and what their gear can do. Most units seem to be able to run in a stand bye mode...that is no transmission and no rotation. NOT all can run in a no power to the radome at all. (That is when the head unit is on the magnetron is powered.) even if nothing else is happening. A lot of operators have not looked into this side of things, meaning that during NON radar times power was still getting burnt up. I am still learning but it just goes to show...don't take anything for granted!!

[Pelagic]

Interesting questions as any Radar that is on standby will have gone thru a series of self tests including energising the magnetron, but then it goes into sleep mode.

On standby it will consume power but I don’t think it is significant

I agree first thing is your concern about dangerous emissions so if you were going to physically lift up the scanner to a safe position when you wanted to use it, why not choose the system you like and then install an external power switch to the radome so that it can never be accidentally turned on in the dangerous position?

[Wotname]

Coops, I don't know if this is helpful or not.... The radars I am familiar with do not emit radiation in standby, the heater in the magnetron is powered up but there is no high tension to the annode so no radiation is possible. The heater element does not draw much power by itself.
Perhaps also important is that some radars radiate in test mode and some don't.

[Auspicious]

My Raymarine E80 / 4kW radar combination allows me to keep the radar in any one of three conditions: on, standby (not transmitting but magnetron powered), and completely off.

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

My Raymarine E80 / 4kW radar combination allows me to keep the radar in any one of three conditions: on, standby (not transmitting but magnetron powered), and completely off.

Same with my Garmin.

[cooper]

Thanks everybody, Good information. I am now curious if there is some simple device to test for spurious emissions. (Not a worry thing just interested).

[Sandero]

MFDs - multi function displays at least conceptually do not require any of their data sources to be on so they can display whichever one is connected and "turned on" often from the MFD.. radar, AIS, fish finder, etc.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by cooper

Yes they can.....but...the question is....if the "unit" is wired up to the Radar , dose the magnetron start to get energized from the moment you turn the "head unit" on? I posted this question on eight different cruising forums in a row last night. I needed an answer straight away. I didn't get one !! The answers have been interesting. Both in terms of what people know about their gear and what their gear can do. Most units seem to be able to run in a stand bye mode...that is no transmission and no rotation. NOT all can run in a no power to the radome at all. (That is when the head unit is on the magnetron is powered.) even if nothing else is happening. A lot of operators have not looked into this side of things, meaning that during NON radar times power was still getting burnt up. I am still learning but it just goes to show...don't take anything for granted!!

With the Garmin just wire the radomes power wire directly to a separate breaker on the panel. I can fire up my 3200 series without radar as I have the dome on a separate circuit.. Easy. Some brands have the power wire built into the main radar cable Garmin uses a Cat 5 and a power wire. They are separate circuits!

[cooper]

Acoustic......go straight to the top of the class !!! That is exactly the info I needed. Just bought a garmin set up...I will print the sticker for a breaker on the "instruments" section on my panel now !!!

thanks : )