Re: Radar

farrison77539 · Dec 9, 2002

Hi, I was wondering why you took you radar off the stern? We have a
davit on the stern of the Southern Comfort and the radar is mounted
on top of that, about another 3 feet up. Did you have a problem
sailing or did you just not like the looks of it? We have a small
Furano. We are just finishing the mounting and haven't used it yet.
The davit was attached when we bought the boat so we figuare to use
it.
Carol
Southern Comfort Too V2931

pelagicasd · Dec 10, 2002

Carol, We had the radar on a 1 1/2" pole mounted through the deck and braced
with 1" tubes to the side and rear of the cockpit coaming. the dome was
about 8 feet off of deck. There was too much flex in the system. Leverage
from the radome was breaking down the glass on the coaming. Three feet above
the davit sounds kind of low. Is there any chance the beam from the unit can
contact a person working on the cabin top or side deck? Remember the beam
comes out in a cone shape which then rotates around the dome. It's a hazard
to your health to come in contact with the beam close to the source
according to the directions that came with our unit. Wall
P.S. The higher the unit the further it can "see".

dk8521 · Jul 12, 2005

Hi Steve,
I installed a JRC 1800CP on my Albin 82MS. CP stands for chart plotter. It is
a combination unit. I bought it online from a company in north carolina for
$1400.00. A gps alone would have cost 7 or 8 hundred so it was easy to justify
adding radar also.The only problem on a vega is where to mount it. This is
where the combination unit helps inthat you can put 2 instruments in one space.I
have been pleased with performance, and the radar has many useful features.
Dick

bv0820 · Jul 12, 2005

Mount the radar / CP on an articulated (?) arm that is attached about the sink inside and when you are in the cockpit swing the display into the companionway. Naturally you do not want to mount it too close to the compass.

Bob Vogel
Laughing Gull

PS Still looking for more Port Captains
dk8521@... wrote:
Hi Steve,
I installed a JRC 1800CP on my Albin 82MS. CP stands for chart plotter. It is
a combination unit. I bought it online from a company in north carolina for
$1400.00. A gps alone would have cost 7 or 8 hundred so it was easy to justify
adding radar also.The only problem on a vega is where to mount it. This is
where the combination unit helps inthat you can put 2 instruments in one space.I
have been pleased with performance, and the radar has many useful features.
Dick

gfloderus · Jul 12, 2005

Hi Steve and others!
I was also interested of a radar and when I count on the currency
consumption I didn´t thought it was possible to run it just more than one
hour with three fresh batteries. What I learned in school was that Currency
( I ) = Effect ( P ) / Voltage ( U ). With a radar on 2 200 Watt and 12 Volt
the currancy would be 183 Ampere in other words 183 Ah to run it for one
hour.

It would be interesting to hear if I didn´t count the right way or if the
theory mismatch with the reallity.

Gustaf V59

zippydoda_captain · Jul 12, 2005

Gustaf.

As RADAR is a pulsed system, in reality the current consumption for a
1000W Radar is only about 6 Amps.

Ray Wilton

Ship and Field Support Manager

School of Ocean Science

University of Wales (Bangor)

Menai Bridge

Angelsey

LL59 5AB

Tel 01248 382614

Fax 01248 716367

gfloderus · Jul 12, 2005

Thanks a lot Ray!!

That was good news for me. For me the AIS is no alternative to a RADAR, its
too many islands in the Stockholm Archipelago
who don´t have an AIS

Gustaf V59

pjacobs55 · Jun 28, 2011

Radar went out - processor went bad after 15 years.
Any suggestions for a replacement? I have thought of the Furuno 1715 ($1,800) or 1623 ($1,400) but I am tempted to go used.Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial St.
Portland ME 04101
207/772-2191
Fax 207/774-3940

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tiempo2010 · Jun 28, 2011

Furuno is the most popular around here with all the commercial fisherman and
other commercial boats. It would get my vote - new or used.

pjacobs55 · Jun 28, 2011

Hi Nicholas,
I'm waiting for the new Broad Band Radar to come down in price a bit.
There's lots of stuff on the 'net about it.
Here's a link to a promotional video:

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

bhofler · Jun 29, 2011

Ok....how about group buying...considering the size of the VEGAtarian community, it may be time to approach a manufacturer directly and ask for a group discount...perhaps SimpliSupr Marine could place an order on behalf of VEGAtarians?

What say you?

n6ric · Jun 29, 2011

I would have to ask the question, how important do you think radar is now that there's AIS that gives you a lot greater detail for much less money. I realize that there are a lot of small boats that don't have transmitters, but the big ones worry me. Thoughts?

Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692

tiempo2010 · Jun 29, 2011

Commercial traffic does not have to have their radar on but they do have to
have their AIS active.

SVFlyAway · Jun 29, 2011

Rule 7 of the Colregs states, and I paraphrase, if there is an operational
radar on board the operator of the vessel must use the radar to prevent
collisions -- it is not optional. The courts have backed this up and both
commercial and recreational boaters have been found guilty of not keeping a
proper watch if they didn't use their radar or if they didn't know how to
use their radar properly.

AIS doesn't replace radar, but I find it most useful when dealing with
commercial traffic. Radar is a great navigation tool also. But often radar
can't pickup small vessels that don't have a good reflector, and as you say
most small boats don't have AIS (they would have class B). "Class A" AIS is
required on any boat over 300 tons.

Since AIS is a VHF signal, a vessel can sometimes be "seen" around a corner
or even over a hill, which radar can't do (yes I know a VHF signal is line
of sight, but still it can sometimes be picked up when somewhat out of line
of sight) -- this is a great advantage. Plus AIS give all kinds of
information including how close you will be (CPA) and when (TCPA). I have
found that since AIS gives the name of the vessel it helps in hailing them
-- especially handy when dealing with ferries. Also I have found I have a
lot of fun looking at some of the websites that display AIS information and
show various vessels movement (I don't know why that is so much fun, but I
find it entertaining). I also get a kick of bringing my AIS receiver and
antenna onto the deck of my condo and watching the traffic several miles
away, again, I don't know why that is so interesting -- guess I am easy to
entertain or need a life.

I could go one, but it would be easier if you just took one of the classes
I teach.

tiempo2010 · Jun 29, 2011

There have been reports over the years of sailors offshore passing close by
commercial traffic with their radar off. Rules are nice if they are followed
but just having it on is no guarantee a lone crewman is watching in the
middle of the night at sea. And it may not pick up a small sailboat in any
case amongst the clutter.

But AIS will be turned on and does not depend on the commercial vessel's
crew attentiveness. And your AIS receiver will give you the information
needed to avoid. AIS receivers require a lot less amps to run as well.

SVFlyAway · Jun 29, 2011

That is very true, laws are great until they are broken and not enforced. It
is also bad considering that many of the crews don't speak much English and
could care not care less about a small boat. Chuck and Laura were nearly run
down in the Strait when they were caught in that storm and the ships were
even alerted by the Canadian radio of their position every hour.

I was thinking more along the lines of whether or not a small boat owner
should choose radar or AIS for his or her own boat. I have always had radar
on my bigger boats, but on the Vega I have an AIS and was given a night
vision scope (which is way cool). As you said, radar takes lots of power.
The new broadband units take half that of an array with an LED screen, but
they really don't have the power of the traditional radar. Close in they are
great, but at a 6 mile distance they are lacking (and that is a good
distance when cruising in open waters). I don't recommend them when I teach
radar.

A boat the size of the Vega would come in as a very small blip that would be
hard to notice even in calm weather. Now there is a radar reflector that
takes the ships radar signal and amplifies it and sends it back as an
enhanced signal. I know it works as I was contacted on my way from Mexico to
the Marquesas by a ship that insisted that I was a small coastal freighter
and not a 40 foot sailboat (which the captain said he probably wouldn't have
seen -- he said a small sailboat would come in as a 4 square meter signal
and I was coming in as an 80 square meter signal). It is calledl the "See
Me" -- it is pricey though and I don't plan on buying one for the Vega. Here
is the site.

Loading…

www.sea-me.co.uk

pjacobs55 · Jun 30, 2011

In Maine we have so many rocks and ledges, but not so much boat traffic. I don't have a chart plotter, so in the fog, which we have in heaps, I plot on paper, use the radar for confirmation, and keep an eye on the sounder.

Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial St.
Portland ME 04101
207/772-2191
Fax 207/774-3940

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From: n6ric
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 10:57 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: Radar
I would have to ask the question, how important do you think radar is now that there's AIS that gives you a lot greater detail for much less money. I realize that there are a lot of small boats that don't have transmitters, but the big ones worry me. Thoughts?

Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692

n6ric · Jun 30, 2011

Being I don't have radar on my Vega now, they would have a hard time charging me with not using it. I've done a lot of sailing up and down the coast of California and Mexico, as well as several trips in the South Pacific and Caribbean and usually had radar on the boat, but rarely turned it on. I delivered a boat from Tortola, BVI to Saint Augustine, FL that had just come out of charter and it didn't have radar on it. We had to be a little more judicious about our watches, but had no trouble. Power being a main concern, I was thinking along the lines of a Sea-Me and an AIS. That would take up a lot less room and use a lot less power, not to mention cost me less. I see the advantages of having radar if you sail in areas where there is a lot of fog, but my sailing plans are to head south not north. Of course I have to finish rebuilding Blue Max first.

Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692

bobnlesafloat · Jul 8, 2011

It probably depends on how/where you're sailing, but from personal experience: When we set sail from the UK in 2003 we'd intended to fit a radar, but that part of the fit-out budget got spent on some propellor shaft/gearbox repairs that we hadn't expected, in the intervening 8 years/15000 miles I can remember only two occassions when we thought 'I wish we had a radar' one of those was in the English Channel the other on the Spanish Atlantic coast; we've never once felt the need for one in the Mediterranean.