radar reflectors?

[Nice N Easy]

Radar Reflectors

Have read this post with interest, and felt I had to respond. Yes I do have a radar reflector, but only because it came with the boat. I have radar also. I can not see what all the discussion is about concerning the reflectors. Some of these cost nearly as much as the radar itself, and even if they are the greatest thing since sliced bread, they still do not help you to see other boats, and are no good at all if the other boat has no radar, has the radar turned off, or the operator doesn't know how to use it. My advice would be to bite the bullet, spend the bucks and get a radar. You do not need a high dollar, high tech unit. Franklin is absolutely correct in what you can see if you know how to use the radar properly. I have a little JRC on my S2. I can see birds, rain and channel markers. I have used mine on more than one occasion to run the channel going into the east side of Biloxi at night. With all the casino's in there, the markers are almost impossible to pick out. With the radar turned to a close range, and the gain turned up, I can easily pick out the individual markers. A reflector isn't a bad thing, but it does not even come remotely close to being the end all to avoid a collision.

 

[newly anonymous]

an anecdote

Some years ago, while on a yacht club cruiseout, we awoke to a dense fog that no one had anticipated. At breakfast, a buddy of mine asked whether I'd mind if he followed me home since I had radar and he didn't. I asked whether he had a radar reflector, and my friend responded in the negative. "In that case," I replied, "it's going to cost you forty bucks to follow me." "Why?" he asked, astonished. "Because I'm going to sell you my radar reflector."The mid-size tri-lens reflector does not cost anywhere near what a radar costs. West Marine just discounted this reflector (the Rozendal reflector, the only one worth having these days) to $150. And you can still get an Echomaster for around 40 bucks.Yes, we can all see birds on our radars when we're out there in flat calm seas. However, the reason I bought a reflector for my boat is so a fatigued, seasick, untrained helmsman can spot my boat in the middle of a gale when the swell is running so high that that my topsides are not visible when I'm down in the troughs. And I'd appreciate the courtesy of him having a reflector up above the spreaders so that I can make out his returns through the driving rain.

 

[Sequitur]

Another Anecdote

Last spring, while on our way back to Vancouver from Victoria, we found ourselves in thick fog in Haro Strait. I turned on my radar, sound signals, chart plotter and AIS and continued. There was no wind, but there was a moderate swell running up the strait, and there were intermittent heavy rain showers.For the first half an hour, none the contacts I picked-up and monitored were of any concern, and there was the usual VHF chatter. Then I talked with a sailboat who said he was in convoy with four other boats. He had been watching us on his radar and he wanted to know our intentions at Turn Point. I asked for his position so I could find him on my radar. His reported position was about 3 miles dead ahead of us, but I could not find him on my screen no matter how I adjusted it. Finally, through the rain clutter I picked-out a slow-moving intermittent contact about two miles ahead, which appeared to be on a reciprocal course and closing on a steady bearing. I radioed him that I had seen him on radar and was slowing and altering to starboard. I watched as the contact began to slowly move left. Still I could see only one contact and I asked him about the other boats in company. He said they were all within 100 feet of him and in sight.A few minutes later, satisfied that the contact and his flock would now safely pass down my port side, I altered back to my original course and strained my eyes and ears into the fog. The radar contact was now about a cable or so broad on my port bow, and continuing to move left, but I heard no sound signals. Then out of the gloom emerged a 35-ish foot sailboat, shepherding four 30-something-foot sailboats.I could see an echomaster-type radar reflector on the lead boat, but on none of the other boats could I see radar reflectors, and only the lead boat painted on my radar through the rain clutter, try as I did to adjust my set.I told the skipper that he and his group needed better radar reflectors; in these conditions, he was virtually invisible outside two miles. He told me my boat painted very strongly on his screen. I was pleased with yet another bit of feedback on my Tri-Lens.The point here is that my well-tuned newish Raymarine 4kw radar picked-up the echomaster-type radar reflector in a swell and through the rain at about two miles as an intermittent contact, but could not see the other boats. Good luck to them as they encounter the steady stream of commercial ships that ply these waters on their way to and from Vancouver, Seattle and the world.

 

[Tom S]

Sequitur I don't understand something

You had radar on and you said the "lead boat of the Flock" had Radar on.So why didn't your radar pick up his "active" radar being generated by his Radar unit? You said all you got was a weak signal, even when close. Something sounds wrong.Many times its tough for me to see small motorboats that don't have Radar, but I can usually tell when a motorboat is running with its Radar on because then I see a much bigger 'target' on the screen than normal.

 

[Tom S]

Heres something that looks like it would work well

Sea-Me Active Radar reflector Target-enhancerhttp://www.sea-me.co.uk/about.html But it is as expensive as a radar unit ! (over $1000)I think the real value lies in it being a "low power consumption" device it draws just 150mA on standby and 350mA when active. If you were worried about battery power on say a transatlantic trip, then this might be worth it as a back up when you don't want to run your radar all the time.The other slick thing is that it tells you when you are being struck by a radar signal and therefore when a ship is in your area. A sounder can be connected to the control box so that you get an audible as well as a visual warning that you have been struck by a radar signal. I would think that is another good thing for ocean sailors.