Replacement Radar recommendations

[mikeo16]

Hi,
My Raytheon Pathfinder 1200 radar from 1985 is now just showing a solid horizontal green line, so I think it is time replace it. I have been very happy with the current unit but not worth attempting to repair. This will be used for coastal cruising in New England on a mast mount.
I am a little overwhelmed at the current radar units as most companies appear to sell components (radome and display are separate). The trouble with this approach is most of these systems end up costing around $3,000 all together. The Raymarine solid state radome with a Axiom 9" multi display unit looks interesting to me. All of my electronics are over 20 years old and still work fine (Northstar GPS, auto helmet 3000, and data marine wind, depth, knot). I realize that these are all likely to quit soon but clearly not ready to justify that major expense.
Any suggestions for a radar unit?

[Smokeys Kitchen]

If this is just for a temp fix, then I would look into getting a used - but newer - unit via the local Craigslist, local chandlery that sells used items, or even here on CF in the 'For Sale' forum. Here in the PNW the prices looked to be $300 to $1000 for a used unit depending on what came with it.

A more permanent solution looks to be @ $1500 for a radar only unit with display from a place like Defender.

[mikeo16]

Thanks for the response and ideas . I will need to look into that more. The complete Furuno model 1623 LCD unit at $1,495 is interesting - I will want to see how the 6" display shows to make sure . Has anyone had any thoughts on this particular unit?
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=145647


Much appreciated.

[hlev00]

I have bought several older pathfinder components from these guys to keep my systems working without replacing.



https://maxmarineelectronics.com/

[Emmalina]

My old Furuno 1621 is on its last legs so would probably go with the 1623 unless you want to integrate a broadband unit into a MFD. Found many spares for it over the years from various sources. Have you seen the new wireless one they do ?

[Nord Sal]

It's hard to go wrong with Furuno Radar.

I don't know about the 1623 but my 1715 has served me well and continues to get the job done. In the right conditions, I can see a seagull or a floating disposable water bottle with my 17-year-old unit.

[Pizzazz]

If you kept using your 1985 radar until recently you probably do not need radar at all. The Pathfinder system was excellent for its time but the 1200 series is just too old. If you love the Pathfinder, search Craigslist, you can probably find a combination Raymarine RL70/analog dome for under $300 and reuse the existing cable. This is the least expensive way to go.

If you want to gain modern capabilities, I would upgrade in stages:
1. You need a better GPS, you might as well get a new plotter. If you want to gain similar size to the Pathfinder vertical display, you need to do at least an Axiom 12.
2. You should get a better autopilot, at least the X-series or above, with gyro compass.
3. AIS Transmit is more useful than radar in many part of the world.
4. Then you get the radar
5. Then you upgrade the instruments (that is expensive).

This is a lot of money for most people, so many go to Craigslist to buy older, replacement units and push the price up. But think about the capabilities you gain and how important they are to you. With a modern chart plotter you get radar overlay on chart. This is super useful. But to make it work well you need stabilized heading, hence the autopilot upgrade. Newer autopilots work much better than older ones.

If I were you, I would get the RL70/analog radar combo simply because that version of Pathfinder was (and is) one of the greatest radars ever made. Sorry Furuno lovers.

[goboatingnow]

I sailed a boat with this radar , it’s rather dated at this stage , the screen is very small , the levels of grey are no where near as clear as modern colour radar

I’m not sure it’s actually good value for money really.

To save money why not consider opencpn and a compatible radar

[mikeo16]

Wow, thanks for all the ideas. This is really encouraging and a tremendous help. I need to spend some time reviewing every suggestion - thanks everyone! There are some really good ideas