Radar

[sycrumble]

Hello all,
we want to buy a radar. But we are not sure which to buy. Who knows which radar will work good with opencpn ?

What kind of system do we need to set up? What would be the best way?


Best,


Stefan

[sycrumble]

Does anybody know if the Furuno Radars work with ocpn?

[goboatingnow]

From opencpn.org

Radar support

Garmin HD and xHD radar support. Navico “new” 3G support.
Older 3G radars are still supported via the BR24 type.
Navico HALO-3, HALO-4, HALO-6 and HALO24 support

[merrimac]

I highly recommend getting a Navico HALO radar. This is the only well-supported radar that is modern (fully electronic, no magnetron). The 20+ has Doppler which we support.


DO NOT get a Garmin (x)HD(2) right now as all we support is old fashioned magnetron versions. Also this radar is just way worse in almost every aspect compared to the modern HALO radar.


There are modern Garmin radars, but we don't support them yet.

We do not support _any_ Furuno radar (modern ones are excellent.)
We may support Raymarine Quantum soon, but initial data supports the notion that this radar is not better, probably worse, in radar performance.

The Navico 3G and 4G are fully supported, these have excellent close-by performance but are not great at longer ranges and cannot see weather very well.

[goboatingnow]

Interesting comment on the quantum

[alaskanviking]

I looked into this for a while. a radar is a big piece of your electronics suite and doesnt play nicely with other brands or older units. so you really need to think about this.

Furunu does have a new radar, but i believe i works soley with their navigation software - MaxSea

also look at the prices and compatibility for the navigation software "Expedition". its more of a racer suite but it has some good features for cruisers and a good weather routing function. it has several radars it will work with.

there is an off brand of magnetron radar that works with "rose point" software I believe.

i also agree you should go with a Navico/Simrad/Lowrance/B&G radome. all the same units just under the various Navico brand names. these work with the chart plotters from those same brands, Expedition, and OpenCpn. maybe rose point as well but not certain on that. they do the radar overlay over the chart in OpenCpn and the Halo Radome's will also show the doppler features in OpenCpn. Not sure about ARPA.

two ways to go with Navico. the newest is the Halo 24 (larger), and Halo 20+ (smaller). i believe the main difference is the distance, the Halo24 came out 2019 and is 24" and has a 48NM range, the Halo 20+ came out 2020 and is 20" with a 36NM range. i believe the features are the same but i haven't looked into it since i bought the Halo24. either of these two options are the best for future proofing, and the distance will spot storms, birds and dangers farther. they're new so more expensive but its not so bad. brand name on the outside wont matter. The older charplotters and hardware can see and use these radomes, however only the newer chartplotters can use the more advanced features. I think you need the B&G Zues2 or Simrad NSS chartplotters. I successfully used it with my old Zeus chart plotter, but it only had the radar circle and basic radar overlay if i remember correctly. OpenCpn can use all or most of the features, so ill upgrade chartplotters closer to leaving the dock for good.

Option 2 is a Navico 3G or 4G radome. visually there is not a lot of difference between the two, the 4G has better range than the 3G and some slightly better features. These were the kings of short range radar and could see stuff in very good detail close to the boat. You probably can get one of these used for cheap right now since they came out with the new Halo Radomes and people are upgrading. they still sell these new for a better price than the Halo's so this is your best option on a budget. i looked and you can get B&G Zues1/Simrad NSE, NSO chart plotters used on ebay for cheap.

It really depends on what your use and location is. Areas with lots of fog or weather id want a longer range radar. if it was budget conscious, more coastal waters or mostly crab/lobster boats and pots and buoys, than i would consider the 3G/4G. I prefer the idea of future proofing so I couldn't get myself to go with the 4G, i also prefer the range. on that same note there is the issue of chart plotters and compatible equipment, you need newer stuff, although OpenCpn or Expedition solves that problem in the immediate, but something to consider.

From Experience, if i could go back i would spend my money more on sensors and the like. the new radar is also a good choice since you can also use software. I unfortunately saved up and got the Zues1 new way back when. that was a big mistake as it was out of date and replaced with a new model within a few years. since i am not close to going anywhere since i bought it this was a poor purchase. likewise there are a lot of hardware changes and updates in marine electronics right now, radios, instruments and the like. I refrain on a lot of that equipment now as I found all the network, Sensors and connected stuff costs a lot especially over time. my boat didn't have tank sensors, inspection ports, rudder sensor ect. the fills and deck fittings have had to be rebed. i was in San Diego Bay which realistically i didn't need a chart plotter for in the bay. these things turned out to be which turned out to be more critical and unexpectedly more costly to update. these things are far more worth your time and money, unless your ready to go out regularly. different locations and situations differ though.

[Hakan]

re: "Not sure about ARPA"
In OCPN's Radar plugin the ARPA function is inside the plugin independent of the radar type.

[sycrumble]

Okay, thanks a lot for the comments.
I think I will buy a new Halo24. We have to put the mast down in a few weeks, so that´s the right time now...
Best,


Stefan

[Jim Jones]

Two new units announced.

One from Garmin with 50w output (an increase of 3dB in power so about 20% more range)

https://panbo.com/garmin-announces-n...n-their-class/



The other from Raymarine, although it is an Open Array type.

https://panbo.com/raymarine-introduc...comment-283471


I do like the Raymarine unit. Would an open array unit work ok on a radar arch specifically built for this unit on the stern of a sloop?

[goboatingnow]

I’m waiting for electronically scanned arrays to arrive !

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I’m waiting for electronically scanned arrays to arrive !

Are there such radars in the pipeline?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Are there such radars in the pipeline?

Yes indeed

[Dockhead]

Wow, cool. Links?

Which would have EVER thought we might someday have our own phased array radar sets? I remember reading in my childhood about the Soviet ones, with amazement.

[AndyEss]

Originally Posted by merrimac

I highly recommend getting a Navico HALO radar. This is the only well-supported radar that is modern (fully electronic, no magnetron). The 20+ has Doppler which we support.


DO NOT get a Garmin (x)HD(2) right now as all we support is old fashioned magnetron versions. Also this radar is just way worse in almost every aspect compared to the modern HALO radar.


There are modern Garmin radars, but we don't support them yet.

We do not support _any_ Furuno radar (modern ones are excellent.)
We may support Raymarine Quantum soon, but initial data supports the notion that this radar is not better, probably worse, in radar performance.

The Navico 3G and 4G are fully supported, these have excellent close-by performance but are not great at longer ranges and cannot see weather very well.

Can you provide any details (even general or preliminary) as to how Quantum radars are worse? And worse compared to what? Magnetron units? Other electronic 4g radars?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

Can you provide any details (even general or preliminary) as to how Quantum radars are worse? And worse compared to what? Magnetron units? Other electronic 4g radars?

He didn't say that. OpenCPN doesn't support the Quantum radars. He only said which of the radars supported by O are better.