New radar type?

[Karanga]

I am thinking it is time to invest in a modern radar.
I removed the old Furuno (plus the coal bunker to drive its steam engine!) leaving a nice strong pedestal on the rear arch.

I have been trying to read up on types and brands, with no clear consensus (no surprises...). Reviews seem to be mostly regurgitated marketing blurb from the manufacturers.

The main criterion is that it must play nicely with OpenCPN. Wireless would be nice, but I understand that it is not easy to get all the info transferred via WiFi, plus I'm not sure about windows 10 input into a laptop. So I am assuming it will be a power cable to the unit and an ethernet cable (approx 15 metres with routing) coming back from the unit and plugging straight into the RJ45 connector on the laptop.

My main question is level of technology, and therefore cost and therefore cost benefits. Current prices in Oz are about $1700 for 3G, $2100 for 4G and about $3100 for Halo24.

I am usually of the mind that it is usually best to get the latest version of something now, with most features, to slightly delay when it becomes old technology and needs to be replaced.

My question is what level to go for.

4G apparently has better range than 3G. But if it is mounted 4m above the water, does that mean that any potential extra range is never achieved?
Is an advertised range of 48nm of any real benefit over say 32nm, particularly when 90% of the most used and desired range is probably within 5 to 10nm?
And if OpenCPN is the only display, does this mean that advertised super-duper features of newer technologies do not get utilised/presented because it isn't going through a proprietary software and matching display unit?
Do all those super-duper technologies have any real benefit in the real sailing world?
Do people get a cheaper unit, then realise later that spending just a little more gets something that really meets their needs?

Ok... That was more than 1 question!

Tim

[tanglewood]

Unfortunately I think your requirement for open CPM support limits you to mediocre radars. If you are OK with TTM target tracking on your chart plotter ( the equivalent of AIS for ARPA targets) the. Superior radars like Furuno can be used.

[Karanga]

Thank you for your thoughts.
It doesn't surprise me too much that proprietary functions may be lost when displaying through OpenCPN.
I suppose the magnificent volunteers who create these amazing plugins may improve the functionality over time.
Your suggestion to look at 'superior' Furuno is interesting, since my reading seems to indicate that Furuno is not currently supported by the radar plugin...

[Paul L]

If you are looking at specs, it is far more important to look at horizontal beam width (in degrees, smaller is better) than to look at max range.