Radar or Not ?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

I'm slowly fitting out my new to me boat, I am trying to keep the budget as low as i can reasonably get away with. I have installed a vhf with ais and linked it to the plotter, I am wondering if it is worth the extra 1000 pounds to add radar?

most definitely add radar. AIS isnt radar. Radar is useful for a lot of things other than worrying about freighters. Radar would be way up the list from AIS on my list.
I've entered a strange anchorage at night after a real long tiring passage with just radar more than a few times. Nothing like a good nights sleep as opposed to heaving to all night!

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Bash

That's entirely wrong.

I use an overlay system most of the time inshore. The problem lies with fundamental chart inaccuracy. The radar measures what's actually there.

I understand what you are saying...yes..often the charts are wrong...WOW what a revalation for the experience mariner....

What I'm saying if entering an unfamiliar area..is USE ALL of your tools...not just one and sort out the ones that don't agree...geeezzz where have I heard that before????

[nwdiver]

One point for the OP, if you have your mast pulled for the refit, put a generic radar platform on it and run messenger cables to pull your wiring while its lying horizontal, you will be much happier at the small expense when the mast is down to the several frustrating days working on the installation when the mast is up and dealing with the cable routing I would go as far as to install the cabling. Also install the radar on the mast I have had the same radar on a 9 foot pole aft and 20 feet up the mast the mast installation is better and gets it out of the way, the pole installation was done because it was easier at the time and many people use them .

[Boracay]

Furuno M-1623 6'' Radar with 2.2kW 15'' Raydome
I'm thinking of buying one of thesefor finding harbour entrances, coastal traffic and maybe later to find Indonesian fishing boats, islands etc.

Can anyone comment on how it may go, or if there are better alternatives for similar money?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Boracay

Furuno M-1623 6'' Radar with 2.2kW 15'' Raydome
I'm thinking of buying one of thesefor finding harbour entrances, coastal traffic and maybe later to find Indonesian fishing boats, islands etc.

Can anyone comment on how it may go, or if there are better alternatives for similar money?

I assume that's a 6 mile radar? You dont need a real powerful one. I do prefer 12 mile or more for off shore, but depends on the $ difference. I would want the ability to manually adjust sea clutter etc as well as auto adjust, especially if you want to pick up local fishing pangas etc . I havent bought one for years so maybe someone who knows the new models better can help with that. For what you want 6 mile ought to work.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Boracay

Furuno M-1623 6'' Radar with 2.2kW 15'' Raydome
I'm thinking of buying one of thesefor finding harbour entrances, coastal traffic and maybe later to find Indonesian fishing boats, islands etc.

Can anyone comment on how it may go, or if there are better alternatives for similar money?

My experience with them...BAD! Unreliable (unusual for Furuno) and the resolution on them and the button sequencing both are awful.

The small radars have come a long way in the last couple of years so if you are looking at a recent model then best to find a local with one and ask to play around with it...as I would do with any radar I was about to buy.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Boracay

Furuno M-1623 6'' Radar with 2.2kW 15'' Raydome
I'm thinking of buying one of thesefor finding harbour entrances, coastal traffic and maybe later to find Indonesian fishing boats, islands etc.

Can anyone comment on how it may go, or if there are better alternatives for similar money?

I like Furuno 1623 very much.

SH newer plotters (starting from the 190 model, I think) can display radar from SiTex radomes. But have never used this combo yet. I would love to try it out as the CP190 has a color screen and the SiTex radomes are small and maybe a s/h one could be gotten cheap.

b.

[Sailor g]

Originally Posted by Bash

The only time I've been lied to by a radar was coming out of Marina Del Rey in heavy fog. The radar kept showing boats traveling around 200 knots overtaking me from dead astern, spaced out at one-minute intervals. They kept coming and coming even though we never spotted one of them.

I finally realized I was on the takeoff flight path directly west of LAX.

LOL! I am out of MdR but have never had that happen. That would definitely freak you out.

[CarinaPDX]

A big thumbs up for radar for cruising, or sailing in an area with fog.

When I first started out I was caught a couple of times in fog in the San Juan islands without radar; having had a basic radar (Furuno 1621) since then I wouldn't go cruising without one. The Furuno worked well for 15 years, and then had an electronic failure in the scanner that wasn't economic to repair.

I replaced it with a Furuno MFD with 2kW UHD scanner, just before the broadband radar came out. I can't speak to the broadband's performance but I can say that the UHD is very impressive. It can certainly see channel buoys, etc, as long as it is adjusted correctly (not a trivial statement for any radar).

It seems to me that the first question to ask is whether you want a stand-alone radar or a multifunction display (MFD) with radar scanner. Basically, the stand-alone provides radar capability at a bargain price, and even the cheap units work amazingly well these days. The MFD provides radar as part of an integrated system, including chartplotter and instrument displays. If you go this way then there is a lot more to the issue than the radar performance; the chartplotter and its available charts are important concerns as well. The Furuno NavNet3D displays sold in the US include free US charts, updated annually, in both vector and raster formats, as well as satellite photos. I consider that a valuable feature. Furuno also sells both C-Map and Navionics charts, US and world, in their 3D format (also used by MaxSea). If you fish then the available fishfinder would be of interest. If you want to use your PC as a second station, what is the available software? And what standard instrument interfacing is available? I think these things are as important as the type of radar.

[sneuman]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know a good online tutorial on how to read an old-school-type radar (such as the one I have). I admit I am not very good at it.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know a good online tutorial on how to read an old-school-type radar (such as the one I have). I admit I am not very good at it.

Not on-line, but if you can find a copy of the Starpath Radar trainer it is very good indeed.

Cheers,

Jim

[IslandHopper]

There is a lot of other Nav gear i would forgo before Radar, in fact when buying a boat it's the first thing i look for in the Nav equipment.....

[capecuddy]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

I installed a Navico (Lowrance) BR24 broadband radar with HDS 7 display this year, after many years using 4KW analog Raymarine radar. I would choose it again for the far superior close-in resolution, the instant-on and the lower power draw.

For long-range use the 4KW was probably equal or a bit better, but I never did a side-by-side comparison. At long range settings you lose the resolution to distinguish small targets with both. Any radar can see a big ship or heavy squall at long range, but as a coastal sailor it's the nearby stuff that worries me in fog or at night so I almost always operate the radar in the 1/4 mile to 4 mile ranges, and only occasionally zoom out beyond that (mainly when further off the coast).

As a coastal sailor with cellular broadband aboard I haven't relied on either radar for storm tracking, as within ~15 or 20 miles of the coast I can get near-real-time Doppler weather radar images through the Internet on my smart phone and on the netbook. I also have AIS, and find that very helpful for tracking the big stuff.

One comment on the Lowrance HDS7: Even though it claims to come with the detail cartography for the US, the quality of the built-in charts is not sufficient for safe navigation, IMHO. I found several mistakes in the New England area (we're not talking remote rarely-traveled areas) and ended up buying the Navionics chart chip; far better quality cartography.

I'm not overly thrilled with Insight charts in Chatham. That said, what I've seen of Navionics charts via the Droid's US Marine and Lakes is equally disappointing.

Any electronics charts that do inland with sea access real well?

[capecuddy]

Originally Posted by Bash

Amazing how often the radar and chartplotter disagree, where the radar is saying a breakwater, for example, is 1.5 clicks away while the chartplotter thinks it's still 2 clicks away.

Guess which one is right.

Yes, but is it the chart or the gps you are referring to? In Chatham,MA, I find the charts laughable at times but the GPS and radar agree really well. For that matter, the charts and the radar agree faily well. Its land mass details and depth issues that are worst. Charting is a thankless and difficult task particularly in Chatham/Orleans.

[bazzer]

A big YES on Radar, even a older used one is better than none. Most of the recent radar's enable you to set a "guard zone" and warn you of dangerous targets, my Raymarine also has target Marpa tracking to show course and speed and closest point of approach of a number or targets, very handy.
Bazzer