Radars!

[Chopppywaters]

Hey all. I jsut found a Radar complete kit for about 1,150 USD. Now im wondering..are radars useful? Why dont alota people have them? And is the dome that will be attached to the A-frame heavy enogh to screw up performace? In other words should i get the radar?

Its a Furuno 1623

Thanks

[Jimbob]

There was an article in RIB international, by Paul Gatzel on the subject

I have used radar on many boats in poor vis or the dark they are great, but I would say that radar assisted collisions can occur if you are not careful, thus a good lookout or doing the things you would do in poor vis are also essential. As I say they are great if you know how to use them.

MARP, is also very useful for seeing what a boat is doing in terms of course and speed (collision).

I notice that the price is coming down and I imagine that lots of people are considering it. One of the main installation problems on RIB is ensuring that the cables you get are not pulled through tight spaces and damaging them, well them ones I have seen anyway, best to get someone to fit I think.

When I have been out on a RIB, they are good but for me trying to concentrate on certain things whilst bouncing around proves a little difficult, best thing I find is slow down a little

[Simon Hawkins]

I use a radar on the Lifeboat. They are very useful tools but remember to try and get the radar dome as high as you can. On small boats you will tend to get alot of clutter from the sea condtions and therefore making it difficult to depict targets. People then tend to declutter the screen which will remove small targets making the radar ineffective.

Another point to note is that if you have radar fitted then under the Col Regs you will be required to keep a constant watch on the radar as the regulations state "to keep a good lookout at all times as well as by available means available in the appropriate prevailing conditions".

Radar is not easy to use and if you are going to buy one then attend a Radar course to learn how to use it propally.

Simon

[tim griffin]

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

And is the dome that will be attached to the A-frame heavy enogh to screw up performace? In other words should i get the radar?

Its a Furuno 1623

Thanks

Hi Choppy waters how big is your boat that you are thinking of sticking the radar on .
Height of the scanner is important as works on height of eye to the horizon principle as to how far it can see and also the height of the target it is trying to see.
The size of the scanner is another factor to consider the bigger the scanner the narrower the beam width the more accurate a picture you will see.and vice versa .
How you set it up is important i.e North up Head Up or Course up, are targets relative bearings or true bearings in relation to us, stabilised and unstabilised picture and if using ARPA are you ground or sea stabilised as either will give a different picture to interpret.
Clutter (sea and rain) controls can be manually adjusted or you can use auto function depending on how confident you feel.
Plotting can be difficult on a rib due to its motion a clear plastic sheet fixed to the screen allowing you to use dry wipe pens is useful so you can if the target is moving down the EBL and a risk of collision exists.
Two articles have appeared in Rib Intl re Radar both good.The reality on a small rib moving at speed makes plotting difficult for collision avoidance. IRPCS rule 19 Conduct of vessels in restricted visibility states a safe speed adapted to the prevailing conditions and conditions of restricted visibility. when we slow down we change the aspect of the scanner on ribs we squat down at the back this will reduce our range for detecting targets unless your scanner is mounted over the helm position or high enough . In my opinion they are great kit for navigation on larger vessels on small ribs some of their capabilities can be reduced when we slow down for restricted visibility due to not getting enough height for the scanner.
any way thats my 2p worth let us know what you decide .

[Chopppywaters]

scratch the radar idea...the Ribcraft guy (I have a 5.85) said the A-frame is probably to low for a safe hieght with the radiation waves. Just thought it might be cool to have heh