Does anyone have any experience with mounting radar receiver on the arch of a Hunter 410? I have noticed the HC50 has it mounted that way. Is a mounting bracket available? Are there pros and cons to mounting the receiver there versus on the mast?
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a big con
i guess the biggest con would be frying your brains with microwaves. seriously, the more powerful the transmitter, the more important it is to get it away from people's heads. these aren't cell phones we're talking about.
i guess the biggest con would be frying your brains with microwaves. seriously, the more powerful the transmitter, the more important it is to get it away from people's heads. these aren't cell phones we're talking about.
radar "receiver"
We looked at the 410 last weekend while we were making arangments to have our boat hauled. What a great boat I cant believe the woodwork inside. Anyway we talked about using the arch as radar bridge it didnt seem to be anything theyve tried, it didnt stay as a serious conversation though and went off into what happens to the reciever when you tack <g>. The other thing I wanted to bring up it the fact is that its a reciever and not a transmitter and the microwaves or radio waves are allready there waiting to be recieved whether you have a reciever or not. So dont worry about them going into your head theyre going there anyway
We looked at the 410 last weekend while we were making arangments to have our boat hauled. What a great boat I cant believe the woodwork inside. Anyway we talked about using the arch as radar bridge it didnt seem to be anything theyve tried, it didnt stay as a serious conversation though and went off into what happens to the reciever when you tack <g>. The other thing I wanted to bring up it the fact is that its a reciever and not a transmitter and the microwaves or radio waves are allready there waiting to be recieved whether you have a reciever or not. So dont worry about them going into your head theyre going there anyway
radar "reciever" oops!!!
Please let me clarify myself before I get posted to in a negative way.... I meant to say if its only a receiver as he worded his post. I realized after trying to figure out why he just had a reciever that he probably had both and in that case would probably be transmitting "sound waves" and not microwaves and may not be as damaging.
Please let me clarify myself before I get posted to in a negative way.... I meant to say if its only a receiver as he worded his post. I realized after trying to figure out why he just had a reciever that he probably had both and in that case would probably be transmitting "sound waves" and not microwaves and may not be as damaging.
Radar mount on the 410
I just completed a radar mount on my 410. I installed a Raytheon 2kw scanner and an LCD display at the chart table. I did not directly mount the radar on the arch. I did mount it on an Edson 138" aluminum mast attached to the stern and attached to the arch with struts for stability. It works great although the aesthetics might not be to everyone's taste. The unit is above and well behing the boom and it attached to the boat at 5 points: at the base, 2 struts to the stern rail, and as I mentioned, 2 struts to the arch. It is rock solid. The only potential problem I have encountered is vibration from the shaft when under power at 2800 and higher rpms. I need to clean off the prop, check engine alignment, or have the prop checked. I was also worried about the radar above the heads of the crew. You hear stories about wwII radar operators getting cancer from exposure to radiation. I called Raytheon and they assured me that the output was less than a large wattage light bulb and that my crew would be safe in the location I installed the unit. It's beam is rather tightly focussed, 12.5 degrees above and below a horizontal line so anyone in the cockpit will be below the beam at all times. I recommend the unit highly. I have used it now offshore in 20 knots and 6 foot seas and it works like a charm. E-mail me for additonal installation information. It took about 4 full-tme weekends for me to put the unit in, although it was dead simple.
I just completed a radar mount on my 410. I installed a Raytheon 2kw scanner and an LCD display at the chart table. I did not directly mount the radar on the arch. I did mount it on an Edson 138" aluminum mast attached to the stern and attached to the arch with struts for stability. It works great although the aesthetics might not be to everyone's taste. The unit is above and well behing the boom and it attached to the boat at 5 points: at the base, 2 struts to the stern rail, and as I mentioned, 2 struts to the arch. It is rock solid. The only potential problem I have encountered is vibration from the shaft when under power at 2800 and higher rpms. I need to clean off the prop, check engine alignment, or have the prop checked. I was also worried about the radar above the heads of the crew. You hear stories about wwII radar operators getting cancer from exposure to radiation. I called Raytheon and they assured me that the output was less than a large wattage light bulb and that my crew would be safe in the location I installed the unit. It's beam is rather tightly focussed, 12.5 degrees above and below a horizontal line so anyone in the cockpit will be below the beam at all times. I recommend the unit highly. I have used it now offshore in 20 knots and 6 foot seas and it works like a charm. E-mail me for additonal installation information. It took about 4 full-tme weekends for me to put the unit in, although it was dead simple.
radar mount
My radar is mounted on the mast. As an old military man, 2kw radar can be potentially dangerous. Don't look it in the eye so to say. I've had a couple of times where the jib has hung up on the radar dome during a tack, but an making sure the jib is luffing before starting the tack resloves this. I think the esthetics are better on the mast.
My radar is mounted on the mast. As an old military man, 2kw radar can be potentially dangerous. Don't look it in the eye so to say. I've had a couple of times where the jib has hung up on the radar dome during a tack, but an making sure the jib is luffing before starting the tack resloves this. I think the esthetics are better on the mast.
electromagnetic energy
it might be a good idea to read the warnings in your radar's owner's manual. here's what mine (a ratheon 2kw) says on page 1: "The radar scanner transmits electromagnetic energy. It is important that the radar is turned off whenever personnel are required to come close to the scanner to perform work on the scanner assembly or associated equipment. "It is recommended that the radar scanner is mounted out of range of personnel (above head height). "Avoid looking directly at the antenna as your eyes are the most sensitive part of the body to electromagnetic energy. ...................the transmitter frequency of most of these units, by the way, is 9410, plus or minus 30MHz. As I understand it, this is in the microwave range.
it might be a good idea to read the warnings in your radar's owner's manual. here's what mine (a ratheon 2kw) says on page 1: "The radar scanner transmits electromagnetic energy. It is important that the radar is turned off whenever personnel are required to come close to the scanner to perform work on the scanner assembly or associated equipment. "It is recommended that the radar scanner is mounted out of range of personnel (above head height). "Avoid looking directly at the antenna as your eyes are the most sensitive part of the body to electromagnetic energy. ...................the transmitter frequency of most of these units, by the way, is 9410, plus or minus 30MHz. As I understand it, this is in the microwave range.
Go Nuke Yourself - NOT
I installed a Raytheon 4KW Pathfinder on my 40.5 this past spring. I chose to mount it on the backstay with a self leveling mount. I spoke to Raytheon Tech dept and asked them about the risk of radiation for people on the bow since they would be just within the vertical beam width. His reply (nearly verbatim) was as follows: "It would be imprudent to place your forehead against the radome while transmitting at full power on the maximum range setting and hold it there for 30-40 minutes. However, the risk of radiation for anyone at a distance of 10' or more is quite minimal." The following is my analysis: Realize that the power output is pulsed with the peak power being 4KW. The average power output is much lower. According to the Raytheon, the 12V power input to the transmitter/receiver is about 35 watts maximum. This includes the motor power to spin the antenna. My guess is that the actual transmitter input power is about 20-25W and I would expect an average output power of 10-15W. A person in the beam would be exposed to only a portion of the 360 degree sweep, maybe during 36 degrees of the circle hence exposure would be 1.0-1.5W. This is the power right at the radome, not 35' away at the bow. Radiated power decreases with the square of the distance, so that the actual radiation at the bow is probably in the mw range. Having said this, I believe that any sailboat mount where the radome is higher than head height is safe. If I had a power boat, I would not mount the radome in front of the flying bridge,5' in front of the driver. Although it is probably safe, would find an alternate mounting position. Opinions are great. Everyone can have their own.
I installed a Raytheon 4KW Pathfinder on my 40.5 this past spring. I chose to mount it on the backstay with a self leveling mount. I spoke to Raytheon Tech dept and asked them about the risk of radiation for people on the bow since they would be just within the vertical beam width. His reply (nearly verbatim) was as follows: "It would be imprudent to place your forehead against the radome while transmitting at full power on the maximum range setting and hold it there for 30-40 minutes. However, the risk of radiation for anyone at a distance of 10' or more is quite minimal." The following is my analysis: Realize that the power output is pulsed with the peak power being 4KW. The average power output is much lower. According to the Raytheon, the 12V power input to the transmitter/receiver is about 35 watts maximum. This includes the motor power to spin the antenna. My guess is that the actual transmitter input power is about 20-25W and I would expect an average output power of 10-15W. A person in the beam would be exposed to only a portion of the 360 degree sweep, maybe during 36 degrees of the circle hence exposure would be 1.0-1.5W. This is the power right at the radome, not 35' away at the bow. Radiated power decreases with the square of the distance, so that the actual radiation at the bow is probably in the mw range. Having said this, I believe that any sailboat mount where the radome is higher than head height is safe. If I had a power boat, I would not mount the radome in front of the flying bridge,5' in front of the driver. Although it is probably safe, would find an alternate mounting position. Opinions are great. Everyone can have their own.
410 Radar Mount
As an ex Navy Aircrew member and Electronics Engineer I would like to say that the 2KW or 4KW power output spec can be misleading. The output pulse is a high amplitude short duration pulse that is sent out every so many seconds. The average power out is very low since between pulses there is no output. To be brief, it is very dangerous to have any part of your body close to the transmitter since over time it's effects are similiar to that of a microwave oven. The power output decreases as the square of the distance (twice the distance = 1/4 the power). The best place for both safety and a good echo return is on the mast as high as possible. Hope this helps! Thanks!
As an ex Navy Aircrew member and Electronics Engineer I would like to say that the 2KW or 4KW power output spec can be misleading. The output pulse is a high amplitude short duration pulse that is sent out every so many seconds. The average power out is very low since between pulses there is no output. To be brief, it is very dangerous to have any part of your body close to the transmitter since over time it's effects are similiar to that of a microwave oven. The power output decreases as the square of the distance (twice the distance = 1/4 the power). The best place for both safety and a good echo return is on the mast as high as possible. Hope this helps! Thanks!
pole mount for radar
John, please e mail me with specifics on your installation for the radar pole. I am thinking of moving up to a 410 or 420 and doing the installation from the get go. Thanks... mnhatton@bluemoon.net
John, please e mail me with specifics on your installation for the radar pole. I am thinking of moving up to a 410 or 420 and doing the installation from the get go. Thanks... mnhatton@bluemoon.net
Radar Mount
The HC50 did have a special mount from the structural arch. I understand that hunter is going to offer a simular radar mount on their larger boats. Not sure of all the sizes but believe they will include the 420, 430 & 450. The best height of a Radar Annenta needs to be determined by the "shortes range" based upon the degre angle down from center, but above the crews heads. On the 4kw Raytheon 20XX it is 17'-0 +/- above the water line. Anything above 17'-0, close in targets may not be picked up as you would be scanning above them even when tuned to the min. range. Traveling in fog, night, ect., the min. range will be the the most important range, as the time to a bump in the night will be a small amount of time. The max. range can not be achieved due to the earth's curvedness even with the "bending" of the signal. Max. ranges (ranges over 15 + miles) are only good for thunderstorms or land features that are high. Currently, on my Passge 42, the antenna is mounted on the mast w/ a leveling device. Works good, but I will never put another on the mast as sails and lines can and do get hung up for breif moments.
The HC50 did have a special mount from the structural arch. I understand that hunter is going to offer a simular radar mount on their larger boats. Not sure of all the sizes but believe they will include the 420, 430 & 450. The best height of a Radar Annenta needs to be determined by the "shortes range" based upon the degre angle down from center, but above the crews heads. On the 4kw Raytheon 20XX it is 17'-0 +/- above the water line. Anything above 17'-0, close in targets may not be picked up as you would be scanning above them even when tuned to the min. range. Traveling in fog, night, ect., the min. range will be the the most important range, as the time to a bump in the night will be a small amount of time. The max. range can not be achieved due to the earth's curvedness even with the "bending" of the signal. Max. ranges (ranges over 15 + miles) are only good for thunderstorms or land features that are high. Currently, on my Passge 42, the antenna is mounted on the mast w/ a leveling device. Works good, but I will never put another on the mast as sails and lines can and do get hung up for breif moments.
pole mount for 410 radar
John, could you e-mail me your radar install plans please? I have a 410 also and have the same Raytheon 2 kw radar sitting in a box at home while I debate about a stern pole mount vs mast mount. What made you choose the pole? I've talked to a 420 owner who mast mounted his and seemed happy with its performance. Also, I thought it would be nice to wire it both into the nav center and have a second port at the helm. Have you any info about that? Thanks in advance. Chris Webb s/v Grand Cru II crwebb@aol.com
John, could you e-mail me your radar install plans please? I have a 410 also and have the same Raytheon 2 kw radar sitting in a box at home while I debate about a stern pole mount vs mast mount. What made you choose the pole? I've talked to a 420 owner who mast mounted his and seemed happy with its performance. Also, I thought it would be nice to wire it both into the nav center and have a second port at the helm. Have you any info about that? Thanks in advance. Chris Webb s/v Grand Cru II crwebb@aol.com
this john???
Chris, if it was me you were asking about a 410 radar mount, I've opted to go with a non-gimbaled mount on the mast, about one foot above the steaming lights. has worked very well for me there (I have the same unit that you've just bought.) and I have had absolutely no intereference between it and the asymetrical (165% of J) spinnaker. I put the monitor in the binnacle. It's mated through sea-talk to a Ratheon 620 chartplotter which is in the nav station, but I didn't put a repeater down below. No regrets about this installation either, although if I were ever tempted to install a repeater, I'd put it in the companionway, since this is where people sit watch under the dodger when it's really stinky outside. The only problem I've had with the unit was while bashing north off the Big Sur coast, when we motored all night into some pretty steep 14 foot swells. There is a string that attaches the top of the radome to the bottom, handy for when you have to work on the unit from a bosun's chair, to keep the top from falling once it's unscrewed. At 0300, during a watch change, it was discovered that the Pt Sur lighthouse could be seen visually, but was not showing up on the radar. Yikes. The crew, needless to say, woke me up, this despite the fact that I'd only been off-watch for two hours. We doubled the watches for the rest of the evening, at which point all crew other than myself got seasick and went below. I was relieved at dawn, and we made port in Monterey at 1100, whereupon we immediately contacted Ratheon tech support. They put the unit through an amazing self diognosis, via phone-relayed instructions to me, and discovered that the antennna wasn't revolving. Which meant I had to go up the mast and figure out what the deal was. It seems that in all the bashing, the string had caught on the antenna, keeping it from spinning. Threw the string away and then went to sleep.
Chris, if it was me you were asking about a 410 radar mount, I've opted to go with a non-gimbaled mount on the mast, about one foot above the steaming lights. has worked very well for me there (I have the same unit that you've just bought.) and I have had absolutely no intereference between it and the asymetrical (165% of J) spinnaker. I put the monitor in the binnacle. It's mated through sea-talk to a Ratheon 620 chartplotter which is in the nav station, but I didn't put a repeater down below. No regrets about this installation either, although if I were ever tempted to install a repeater, I'd put it in the companionway, since this is where people sit watch under the dodger when it's really stinky outside. The only problem I've had with the unit was while bashing north off the Big Sur coast, when we motored all night into some pretty steep 14 foot swells. There is a string that attaches the top of the radome to the bottom, handy for when you have to work on the unit from a bosun's chair, to keep the top from falling once it's unscrewed. At 0300, during a watch change, it was discovered that the Pt Sur lighthouse could be seen visually, but was not showing up on the radar. Yikes. The crew, needless to say, woke me up, this despite the fact that I'd only been off-watch for two hours. We doubled the watches for the rest of the evening, at which point all crew other than myself got seasick and went below. I was relieved at dawn, and we made port in Monterey at 1100, whereupon we immediately contacted Ratheon tech support. They put the unit through an amazing self diognosis, via phone-relayed instructions to me, and discovered that the antennna wasn't revolving. Which meant I had to go up the mast and figure out what the deal was. It seems that in all the bashing, the string had caught on the antenna, keeping it from spinning. Threw the string away and then went to sleep.
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