Broadband Radar

[Atlantic42]

I like Furuno as well and have owned two units in the past. IF Alaska fishermen use them then we definitely know they are the best. I spent a summer in AK working at various jobs, but you guys who go fishing in Bearing Sea get tons of my respect.

I still like the low power use of the Simrad BR24 which claims 19watts operating and 2watts standby per Simrad website install manual. On my boat we run everything off solar so a low power radar would get used more than a higher consuming model and that is where I see the value of the Simrad.

Planning on a trip to Chile in 2010 and thus need the new radar as charts in the Fjords are notoriously bad and radar would be of great assistance in staying mid channel during bad weather down there.

Still looking for someone who is getting a radar image overlay on MaxSea 10.3.2.1

[barnakiel]

Read Panbo blog some stuff on broadband radar there.

b.

[Ionlydream]

I really am a newbie but...

I think if you want an black box type solution you might look at either the Simrad or the Lowrance. They both have a NMEA2000 interface available that you could then connect to a chartplotter.

You could also use this interface with a NMEA2000 to USB interface and then connect it to your PC. I do not know MaxSea but that would at least get the data into your PC, not sure if you would able to use it.

[jackiepitts]

Does anyone know what kind of range the BR24 has? We are in the market for a new radar and although radar clarity close in would be very helpful we feel the majority of times we rely on radar is for spotting obstacles at distances further out so we are wondering if the broadband radars are capable for off shore work and if so what the type of clarity would you get at say 15 miles?

[Ionlydream]

I believe that the 24 in BR24 stands for 24 km. I think it should be good for about the same distances as a 2Kw standard radar

[fishwife]

Originally Posted by jackiepitts

Does anyone know what kind of range the BR24 has? We are in the market for a new radar and although radar clarity close in would be very helpful we feel the majority of times we rely on radar is for spotting obstacles at distances further out so we are wondering if the broadband radars are capable for off shore work and if so what the type of clarity would you get at say 15 miles?

In my experience, the BR24 is good for about 12 miles, somewhat better in very good atmospheric conditions. Rain cells are visible up to around 15 miles. The BR24 is, IMO, unbeatable for separation and clarity for close in work and especially for spotting fishing floats etc at night. I tend to use it with the range stepped down to 3 miles and much less if I'm concerned about finding very small targets. If you want to use it for spotting ships a distance away, it also does that very well within the range limitations mentioned above.
The 'instant on' ability really does work with about 6 seconds needed to fill the screen on the first sweep and the absence of a 'bang' area is a big plus.
How high you mount it will have some effect on the range.
From what I read, there are big changes coming, so if you can hold off for another season, you may get MARPA or ARPA built in or as an option.

All that said, I'm a bit ambivalent about recommending it for a blue water boat with just the one radar, that may be because of the way it's use has evolved on my boat. Other people have told me that they use it for all their needs.

I've no connection to the company etc

P.

[jackiepitts]

This is great information....exactly what I was hoping for.
I am very impressed with the fact that you can see fishing floats with the BR24. That is something we would definitely use!
It sounds like the best set up would be to have two radars.
Do you happen to know how the BR24's performance is in heavy rain/fog...i.e. bad weather as compared to a traditional 4KW radar?

[fishwife]

I can only compare directly with my 25kw open array radar (theoretical 96 miles) In very heavy rain I'll get about 9 miles from the conventional radar and about 2 miles from the BR24. Where I've actually cruised since I had the BR24 has meant I've had little chance of actually testing it in fog so with limited knowledge (one use) I don't feel qualified to comment.

P.

[SaltyMonkey]

Geez. I was reading all these great posts in other threads recommending the new simrad radars, and I was elated that someone focused my budget and decision for me. Now I'm having second thoughts again

[MaggieJ]

I too am interested in this technology. It is called "Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW)" in the radar business, and a decent technical explanation is found in Wikipedia under that heading. According to that article, it is not a new idea, but has long been used in aircraft landing systems. The Navico propaganda sounds believable, but I don't know enough about the details to make an intelligent statement. I would sure like to see one in action before parting with cash.

Here is another technical description of the technology, again not specifically about Navico's products.
Advanced Solutions Nederland - Example: FMCW Radar Model

[Extemporaneous]

Broadband or HD RADAR.

Surly there is a winner!
If we only knew who it was.

Anyone know via hands on knowledge??

Regards,
Extemp.

[s/v Jedi]

For a boat with 1 radar: HD (Furuno ofcourse :-)

For a (bigger) boat with 2 sets: replace the short range set with a broadband set.

ciao!
Nick.

[Mambo]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

Broadband or HD RADAR.

Surly there is a winner!
If we only knew who it was.

Anyone know via hands on knowledge??

Regards,
Extemp.

I went with Garmin HD after hearing glowing reports on the Lowrance BR performance. My reasoning was simply the superior charting performance of the Garmin. The Lowrance BR radar definitely looked superior in many impoortant respects but ultimately the HD was "good enough" when the other components were taken into consideration.
Luck!

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

For a boat with 1 radar: HD (Furuno ofcourse :-)

For a (bigger) boat with 2 sets: replace the short range set with a broadband set.

ciao!
Nick.

Does 30% more range change anything for you?
Broadband 3G

Extemp.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

Does 30% more range change anything for you?
Broadband 3G

Extemp.

No... this (and the price crashing down) actually proves we should wait a couple of years until they work it out. The product specs are still too fluid for my taste...

ciao!
Nick.