RADAR displays garbage (or nothing) since updating to v5.3.4

[K32]

Hello,

Since updating to v5.3.4 today, the RADAR add-on displays only garbage (or nothing) :

- With low gain, it seems to detect none of the many targets in the marina.
- With high gain >35, we get a colourful garbage on the entire radar display.

Any idea?

Our installation :
NAVICO 3G radar from B&G
Open CPN 5.6.2
Windows 10 Pro

[Hakan]

I have not tried radar_pi v5.3.4 on O 5.6.2. Only on OCPN current version 5.8.4
You may like to update OCPN?
https://opencpn.org/OpenCPN/info/downloadopencpn.html

[kirribilli47]

I have also trouble with my radar
Get same result, nothing in auto mode and crazy clutter with more gain


Magnus



Opencpn 5.8.4
Radar 5.5
Navico 3G but old so BR24

[K32]

Thank you, Hakan, for the kind suggestion to update.
Now we have the newest versions of everything.

However, sadly, this brings no improvement.

RADAR is still displaying garbage. It started when I updated to the newest version of the RADAR plugin.

Any idea what may cause this ?

Many thanks,

Andre


Our installation :
NAVICO 3G radar from B&G
OpenCPN v5.8.4
RADAR plugin v5.5.0
Windows 10 Pro

[Sabado]

Originally Posted by K32

Thank you, Hakan, for the kind suggestion to update.
Now we have the newest versions of everything.

However, sadly, this brings no improvement.

RADAR is still displaying garbage. It started when I updated to the newest version of the RADAR plugin.

Any idea what may cause this ?

Many thanks,

Andre


Our installation :
NAVICO 3G radar from B&G
OpenCPN v5.8.4
RADAR plugin v5.5.0
Windows 10 Pro

Can you "downgrade" to the older plugin?

[Hakan]

I've the same set up, W10/3G, and it's working.
One thing to try is to change "GPU Drawing method" in Radar Preferences. There are two alternatives to test Shader and Vertex Array.

There's also a radar_pi version 5.5.0-beta4 to try but I'm not sure the change is about this issue. To test that you need to change "Settings.."*) in Plugin manager and select plugin catalog "Beta" and when done update that catalog. When ready don't forget to change back to "master" catalog.

*) You may need to follow the instruction having clicked "Settings.." Take a screen shot. Close OCPN and change the "opencpn.ini" file accordingly.


btw: For communication tests I've also have a bad scrapped BR24 at home acting something like you describe but that has nothing to do with change of radar plugin version.

[Hakan]

From the radar manual

Note: If you have a Navico 3G where the firmware date is before Oct 2014 select radar type BR24. Connect and check the firmware status reported in the Info dialog.

[kirribilli47]

I tried the 2 different GPU Drawing method, but no sucess here.
Also tried with a brand new computer with windows 11 and new installation of opencpn. But same clutter on screen.
Is is any way to try an older version of radar plugin?

[Sabado]

Originally Posted by kirribilli47

I tried the 2 different GPU Drawing method, but no sucess here.
Also tried with a brand new computer with windows 11 and new installation of opencpn. But same clutter on screen.
Is is any way to try an older version of radar plugin?

Can you view the radar on a MFD? Does it have the same issue. This is a similar issue you'll see if water has gotten into the dome. It happened to us. This photo is an example (not ours).

[Mattzilla]

Originally Posted by Sabado

Can you view the radar on a MFD? Does it have the same issue. This is a similar issue you'll see if water has gotten into the dome. It happened to us. This photo is an example (not ours).

I had the same issue with the B&G 3G radome when we got the boat. I tried reinstalling software and rolling back to earlier versions of plugin and same issue. I removed the dome and had it tested on a Simrad plotter and still faulty on the plotter.

Fix for me was replace with a Halo20+, was not under warranty and price to fix made replacing it the best option.

Here was that thread https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...se-243381.html

[Corsair63]

Originally Posted by Sabado

Can you view the radar on a MFD? Does it have the same issue. This is a similar issue you'll see if water has gotten into the dome. It happened to us. This photo is an example (not ours).

From your attached picture, what I see is a problem of not proper setup of RADAR.
I've one on board but not connected to OCPN (Furuno, you know difficult to trace), but I've been working all my life with RADAR.

such picture (of course, could be water in radome) most probable is an incorrect setup of gain, rain clutter, sea clutter and/or tunning.
How can be done in these small RADARs, I've never tried, but sure would be in the user manual, I had always done in commercial big vessels.
nowadays also those ones had most of the controls in automatic and could be difficult to proper calibrate, because an incorrect gain, clutter either tunning could lead in having too many echoes no echoes either no close echoes.

So read the user manual and try adjustment of signals, but keep a record of the initial ones, just in case.

[Hakan]

kirribilli47..
To use an older plugin version for test you can try to in Pluginmanager use the "import" function. What you will import is a tarball. I think it's wise to first uninstall the present version of the plugin and then import the tarball you have downloaded.

I don't know your old version but here are some.
Download tarball V5.5.4
Or this one:
Download tarball v5.3.4

[Sabado]

Originally Posted by Corsair63

From your attached picture, what I see is a problem of not proper setup of RADAR.
I've one on board but not connected to OCPN (Furuno, you know difficult to trace), but I've been working all my life with RADAR.

such picture (of course, could be water in radome) most probable is an incorrect setup of gain, rain clutter, sea clutter and/or tunning.
How can be done in these small RADARs, I've never tried, but sure would be in the user manual, I had always done in commercial big vessels.
nowadays also those ones had most of the controls in automatic and could be difficult to proper calibrate, because an incorrect gain, clutter either tunning could lead in having too many echoes no echoes either no close echoes.

So read the user manual and try adjustment of signals, but keep a record of the initial ones, just in case.

That photo was water intrusion and the unit was replaced under warranty.

[K32]

Dear all,

Many thanks for your various and helpful suggestions further to my initial post. Please excuse me for not replying timely to everybody, as I've had to move my boat around.

Hakan, all my versions are now up-to-date (thanks to you!) Based on your suggestion I could also establish that, contrary to my expectation, reverting to the previous version of RADAR did not fix the problem --> My suspicion about the last update of RADAR was horribly unfounded!

So, yes, something else happened just as I updated my plugin.

Sabado, your radar screenshot of a Navico unit with water ingress struck me as "identical" to my own screen. I opened the radome of my B&G unit (6 bolts), lifted the cover (easy! maybe too easy?) and found some clean water on the bottom, plus dew all over the place... No idea yet how it got there but, again, thanks for posting that screenshot.

Strangely the top and bottom part of the radome seem intact, and so does the black (rubber?) seal. The issue might be poor material stability over time.

My plans at this stage :

-1. wait until the unit is absolutely dry
-2. clean and put new grease (silicon?) on the seal
-3. close the radome cover
-4. test the unit.

If this did not fix the issue short-term and long-term, I will let you know.

Thanks again!

[Corsair63]

Originally Posted by Sabado

That photo was water intrusion and the unit was replaced under warranty.

Hi Sabado,

bear in mind that I never had such problem of water in radome, because I sailed always in open aerial from 1 meter length to 4.5 metres length of aerial.
I can figure water in the aerial in our enclosed type that are nearly unused in commercial vessels (small fishing vessels and passengers in near coastal navigation only).

what I seen is that the problem in this case has been detected water ingress in the radome too, hopefully it would solve the problem.