Garmin radar question

[Roger Long]

Am I correct that the Garmin 3205 I'm getting will be the switch for the GMR 18 radom and turn it on and off? The manuals I've downloaded are not real clear on this point but seem to imply that the radome is to be directly wired to the battery with no ON/OFF switch or breaker.

I want to be sure the antenna and its on board circuitry is really off when I want it off and not drawing down my batteries.

Should I run the antenna power supply through a separate breaker?

 

[Maine Sail]

Depends

Am I correct that the Garmin 3205 I'm getting will be the switch for the GMR 18 radom and turn it on and off? The manuals I've downloaded are not real clear on this point but seem to imply that the radome is to be directly wired to the battery with no ON/OFF switch or breaker.

I want to be sure the antenna and its on board circuitry is really off when I want it off and not drawing down my batteries.

Should I run the antenna power supply through a separate breaker?

No and yes. I have a separate breaker for the radome. Once the radome breaker is on I can then turn the dome on and off via the plotter - TX/STBY.

I wired it this way so the dome was not powered every time I fired up the plotter. You can do it either way but I preferred to have a separate breaker for the dome..

 

[sailingdog]

Yes, running the antenna power through a separate breaker would also be a good safety idea, since it would help ensure that the radome is off when you're working on it. From the GMR 18HD installation guide:

Making the final wiring connections
1. Connect the Black ground (-) wire to the vessel’s negative power terminal.
2. Connect the Red power (+) wire (with fuse holder) to the vessel’s positive power terminal.

 

[Roger Long]

I wired it this way so the dome was not powered every time I fired up the plotter.

That seems imperative to me. It would be nice if the manuals were clearer. The 3205 manual makes it sound like you are turning on the radar in standby when you engage the radar function but doesn't tell you that just turning on the plotter sends a wake up signal to the dome.

The commercial guys tell me their radars are always going to keep the electronics dry but they've got big generators going down below.

Good thing I have one breaker left. I had my polishing pump on it so I could turn it on and off easily when polishing on dock power with the engine off but it's not a big deal to reach in the engine compartment access hatch and I seldom polish at the dock anyway.