RADAR recommendation

SCORPIO

SCORPIO

Well-Known Member
Apr 7, 2008
2,743
Delaware
Boat Info
1989 300 DA
Engines
Twin 5.7 Merc Alpha I
Got caught by a poor forecast and ran into a dense fog yesterday, although I had two chartplotters, I aborted our fishing plans since I had no idea what was in front of me besides what was charted. I've thought about RADAR for some time and this may be a good time. The admiral now sees that its not just another toy but a useful tool for unplanned circumstances.

Can anybody recommend any particular brands/styles? I have an '89 Sea Ray 300 DA with the factory arch. We boat in the Delaware Bay and coastal waters. We use the boat for cruising and fishing when its not our weekend house lol. I think an enclosed radome would be better for us than an open array. What do I need for power cabeling to supply the unit? Is this a DIY type of job? I will need a mount to elevate the dome so I'm not microwaving my head while standing to run the boat. How does one determine the amount of wedge needed to compensate for running angle? Or perhaps better stated, how do you measure your running angle to get the right wedge? Do you set up for the angle when fully on plane or what?
Thanks

BTW I have a Garmin 3206 chartplotter if that is of any considration.
 
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Any good open array will give you excellent results. Raymarine and Furuno both come to mind. I've used both. There is no wedge or offset on my Raymarine which was installed when the boat was new. I was told that software set ups take care of what used to be done with a wedge. It works well when running on plane and at displacement speeds as well. I'd stay away from domes as you will get a finer image with an open array. Go with the biggest antenna that will look good on your boat.
 
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Flir bought Raymarine which should not have an impact on what you will be buying......Either product is good and you will be happy with either product
 
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the big names especially if you are using it primarily for navigation and not searching for birds, etc. I was on a new Hinckley 2 weeks ago that was equipped with the Garmin GMR 24HD Radome displayed on the 15" touchscreen and it was incredible. I know open array have advantages, but without a hard top I would consider both. You also may be able to direct connect a Garmin to your existing unit. Not sure how it would display on that small of a screen, but again if you are using it primarily for navigation and collision avoidance it might be fine and you can purchase a GMR18 for about a grand. My 2 cents!
 
We installed (we'll almost, had dealer snake cable down arch) a Raymarine 24" HD dome radar. Wasn't difficult except for mentioned arch cable routing. I am really impressed with the performance. Since you have a Garmin MFD I would look into a 24" Garmin HD radar. Make sure you use a mount that gets the radar beam above your GPS antenna. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Let me suggest that if you're going to add a radar to the boat that it would be a good time to upgrade to a larger GPS/plotter. If you don't you will have the smaller plotter and a separate, larger radar screen. If you do upgrade the plotter you can overlay the radar image on top of the GPS/Plotter screen and end up with something that looks like this....
P1010033_overlay_resized.jpg


This image is a picture of my 330's Simrad display when I was passing beneath a bridge. Here's what the fog looked like that day. In this show below I was about two boat lengths offshore and could barely make out a tree on the bank.
P1010024_2.jpg

I was headed to a marina where the opening is very narrow. I couldn't see the opening until I was almost in it. Here's the screen shot of the boat as I'm approaching the opening. At this point I'm within 50 yards of the opening and could not yet see it.

P1010006_2_.JPG


If you look at the display above you will see a line that extends straight off the bow of the boat. That is the lubber line that corresponds to the centerline of the boat. The other line that is offset about 30° to the left and has the "arrowhead" marks at the end of it is my actual course over ground. The two are different because I'm being pushed sideways (to port) by the current and am crabbing the boat toward the opening.

When you're running in fog, rain, dark, etc., the obvious advantage of overlaying the radar is that you only have one display to monitor and it puts everything into the same distance/range picture.

I would suggest a closed array, 4kw radar. The new broadband, high def radars give an unbelievable picture of what's out there. They aren't a lot more expensive than the traditional radars.

You don't need any higher power than 4kw. Higher power won't let you "see" targets further away, that is limited by the height of the radar antenna above the water and the height of the target. Curvature of the earth is the limiting factor in how far you can see. With your antenna on your arch you will be able to discern targets that are about 10 miles away.

A 4kw radar will give good definition on targets that are within your range. On my 330 with a 4kw Simrad setup I could pick up a kayaker at 1/4 mile, a moving PWC at 1/2 mile, etc.

The adjustments in the new radars do away with the need for a wedge. They also will let you change things like rotation speed, they have automatic gain controls, sea state controls, etc. You can adjust screen colors, brightness and most all other display attributes.

I don't have a favorite brand. IMHO the Simrad displays are easier to see in daylight than most, but they also are more expensive.

Installation can be a DIY project if you're handy with tools. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to install one. I did the install on my 330 with the help of a friend. All you do is run power up to the antenna, run the signal cable down to the helm, run power to the display then hook up the signal cable. It's not brain surgery.

One suggestion...when you pull the cable down from the top of the arch, pull a length of small (1/8") line down with it. Use that to pull the power wires up to the antenna, and pull another length of the 1/8" line with that. Whenever I pull a line anywhere on the boat I always pull a length of line with it in case I need to pull another wire through that same path in the future.

If you add a radar you will never be sorry.
 
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SCORPIO said:
Got caught by a poor forecast and ran into a dense fog yesterday, although I had two chartplotters, I aborted our fishing plans since I had no idea what was in front of me besides what was charted. I've thought about RADAR for some time and this may be a good time. The admiral now sees that its not just another toy but a useful tool for unplanned circumstances.

Can anybody recommend any particular brands/styles? I have an '89 Sea Ray 300 DA with the factory arch. We boat in the Delaware Bay and coastal waters. We use the boat for cruising and fishing when its not our weekend house lol. I think an enclosed radome would be better for us than an open array. What do I need for power cabeling to supply the unit? Is this a DIY type of job? I will need a mount to elevate the dome so I'm not microwaving my head while standing to run the boat. How does one determine the amount of wedge needed to compensate for running angle? Or perhaps better stated, how do you measure your running angle to get the right wedge? Do you set up for the angle when fully on plane or what?
Thanks

BTW I have a Garmin 3206 chartplotter if that is of any considration.
Click to expand...
We installed a 24" Garmin HD Radome and 4212 display over the winter. It displays seagulls resting on the calm water as good as my older open array system which I replaced. Very user friendly...I do not hesitate to recommend Garmin.
 
So Raymarine is undergoing yet another ownership change. In every previous try, their customers were left out in the cold for parts support. While their newer equipment looks interesting, I'm sticking with Furuno who does support their gear which is generally commercial grade marine electronics. IN 20+ years, with 2 radar units, 3 plotters, a GPS , a Loran and a SSB, I have had only one need to call service guy and that was 15 years ago to replace a motor in a closed array. Furuno's stuff just works..........
 
Go First Class.....Great job with the photos.....Very well done showing how valuable radar can be....I would never get a boat without having radar on it.......
 
When considering a mount and the proper down angle, you should evaluate it based on how you will be using the radar. If on plane, evaluate the down angle on plane. If you go with a 4 degree down angle you can't really go wrong. The beamwidth of you radar is 25 degrees and at displacement speed you reaaly will not lose any targets at distance. On plane, the down angle will help minimize target loss close in. BattleWagon has some great tips on their site. www.battlewagonmounts.com
 
First dibbs on the soon to be sold 3206!!! :grin:
 
I've got my eyes open for a 3210 if I can find a good deal on one, I may sell the 3206. If so, I'll give you a shout.
 
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