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4 Best Radome-enclosed Boat Radar Options for Recreational Sailors

• By David Schmidt
• Updated: March 27, 2024

When I was a kid, my dad and I watched an aircraft carrier break apart. At least, that’s what it looked like on his radar , which employed a cavity magnetron transmitter and a monochrome display. The year was 1988, and we were crossing Muscongus Bay , en route from Port Clyde to East Boothbay, Maine . We were aboard Windancer , my parents’ C&C 37, in classic pea-soup fog. Looking at the radar display, we could see something enormous a handful of miles off our starboard bow.

And then suddenly, our “aircraft carrier” dissolved. We rushed on deck and—some tense minutes later—discerned engines and voices through the murk. So much for a Nimitz-class carrier. This was nothing more than a flotilla of small powerboats we called “gnats.” We arrived in East Boothbay safely and in time for dinner, and we still laugh about how that radar’s lack of target separation caused serious, if short-lived, situational-awareness anxiety.

While it’s easy to say that nuclear energy was the decisive technology that helped the Allies win World War II, the truth is that cavity magnetrons and radar-guided anti-aircraft guns played a far bigger role. Flash-forward to the late 1950s, and radar began emerging on commercial and, eventually, recreational vessels. These “pulse-modulated” magnetron radars ­create pulses of radio-frequency (RF) energy that’s transmitted from a rotating directional antenna. This energy travels at the speed of light in a narrow, horizontal band before bouncing off targets and returning to the antenna as an echo.

While effective, magnetron-based radars have some drawbacks. They sometimes struggle to separate closely spaced targets, and analog cavity magnetron transmitters are subject to temperature swings, aging, and manufacturing variables (from one magnetron to the next) that make it impossible to do Doppler processing on returning echoes.

The marine world began adopting solid-­state transmitters in late 2008, and the first recreational Doppler-enabled boat radars arrived in early 2016. These transmitters generate highly predictable frequencies that enable Doppler ­processing, which lets radar manufacturers color-code radar targets based on their threat level. These radars also deliver far better close-range performance (read: no main bang or blind spots) and weigh less than magnetron-based radars.

Here’s a look at the four best radome-­enclosed boat radars for recreational sailors. All of these systems use solid-state ­transmitters, and deliver Doppler processing and a host of other features. If you still cruise with an old magnetron-­based radar, consider upgrading. The costs are not insignificant, but the improved radar imagery is worth it.

Quicklook: 4 Best Radome-enclosed Recreational Marine Radars

• B&G HALO20, HALO20+ and HALO24

Furuno DRS2D-NXT and DRS4D-NXT 

Garmin gmr fantom 18x and gmr fantom 24x , raymarine quantum 2 , b&g halo20, halo20+ and halo24 .

B&G started employing solid-state radar transmitters in 2008. While these systems generated good short-range imagery, their long-range performance didn’t compare to analog pulse-modulated radars. This changed in early 2015 with the arrival of B&G’s Halo open-array, pulse-compression radar, which gave powerboaters great short- and long-range performance. 

B&G’s latest radome-enclosed, solid-state radars—the HALO20, HALO20+ and HALO24—build on this performance and add Doppler processing (plus MARPA target tracking) in a ­sailing-friendly radome that won’t accidentally ingest running rigging.

As with all radars, greater power and a bigger antenna translate to greater range and better imagery. To this end, the HALO20 operates on 20 watts (maximum consumption) and spins its 17.5-inch antenna (which is fit inside a 20-inch radome) at 24 revolutions per minute to provide 24 nautical miles of range; its big brother, the HALO20+, employs the same antenna, but it spins it at up to 60 rpm (this is dynamic, depending on the range involved) and operates on 29 watts of power for 36 nautical miles of range.

Both 20-inch HALO radars come with optional preset user modes that include harbor, offshore, weather, north up and course up. The HALO20+ also comes with a fishing-friendly bird mode and dual-range capabilities. The latter allows a user to split the radar screen in half, with one side running at, say, 10 nautical miles, while the other is set to maximum range. 

The HALO24 boat radar is aimed at sailors ­seeking greater range. It employs a 22-inch antenna inside a 24-inch radome that it spins at up to 60 rpm. It operates on 29 watts for a range of 48 nautical miles. The HALO24’s bigger antenna allows it to generate smaller beam widths, which further helps the radar to separate targets onscreen. It has the same preset operating modes as the HALO20+.

All three radome-enclosed HALO boat radars are built to IPX6 standards, and all play nicely with B&G chart plotters.

Furuno has long enjoyed a strong reputation for magnetron-based radars, and was the first marine company to unveil a radome-enclosed, Doppler-enabled radar. The DRS4D-NXT could differentiate dangerous and passive targets onscreen using proprietary and Doppler-based features, which operate much like a layer on an electronic chart. Users can turn it on or off, depending on conditions.

Furuno also bundled full ARPA ­capabilities into the system, which allows the radar to acquire and track up to 40 targets automatically. Users can ­manually enter 60 additional targets, which the system then also tracks. 

However, the DRS4D-NXT has a 22- to 22.5-inch antenna inside its 24-inch radome and weighs 16.1 pounds, making it better-suited for larger sailboats. Enter the DRS2D-NXT boat radar, which Furuno released in 2022. This ARPA-enabled system comes bundled in a 19-inch radome, which houses its 17- to 17.5-inch antenna, and weighs 14.3 pounds. It’s an easier fit aboard smaller rides. 

While both systems transmit at 25 watts and spin their antennas at variable speeds for 48 nautical miles of awareness, there are some differences.

As mentioned, radars that transmit tighter RF beam widths generally yield better target separation than systems with wider beams. While both radars have vertical beam widths of 25 degrees, the DRS4D-NXT has a horizontal beam width of 3.9 degrees, while the DRS2D-NXT’s beam is 5.2 degrees. Also, the DRS4D-NXT comes with a bird mode, which is likely more applicable to anglers than sailors.

Otherwise, both radars are similar, and both come with Furuno’s RezBoost beam sharpening, which—when cranked—­reduces the horizontal beam widths of both radars to 2 degrees. Additionally, both systems have Furuno’s Doppler-based target-analyzer and fast-target tracking features. They color-code targets based on their direction of travel relative to your boat, and display course and speed information of user-selected targets. Both radars are compatible with Furuno plotters.

Garmin made headlines in 2016 with its 40-watt Fantom radars. They were available with 4- or 6-foot antennas, and had Garmin’s MotionScope technology. While these radars were impressive in terms of their Doppler capabilities and solid-state transmitters, they were of limited use to most sailors because of their open-array antennas. Garmin solved this problem with the GMR Fantom 18 and GMR Fantom 24 radars in late 2016. They came bundled in a sailing-friendly radome and delivered ranges of 20 feet to 48 nautical miles. More important: Both radars had Garmin’s MotionScope technology and operated on 25 watts of power.

Garmin refreshed these radars in late 2021 with the GMR Fantom 18x and GMR Fantom 24x systems. They have the same ranges but with purportedly better target-separation capabilities, including in rain or fog. Customers can spec a GMR Fantom 18x to operate at 40 or 50 watts, while all GMR Fantom 24x boat radars operate on 50 watts. Garmin’s smaller radome-enclosed system employs a 17-inch antenna, and the bigger system has a 23-inch antenna. 

In a departure from the traditional, both radars can be purchased with a white or black radome. Customers seeking a GMR Fantom 18x in black must opt for the 50-watt version. 

Both new radars have Garmin’s MotionScope, and have features such as target size, which allows users to adjust onscreen target resolution for better target separation; echo trails, which generates historical trails of onscreen targets to help increase situational awareness; dual-range mode; MARPA (this requires a separate heading sensor such as Garmin’s nine-axis heading sensor); and dynamic auto gain, which automatically tunes the radar’s gain to best match the environment. Both radars let users overlay radar imagery atop cartography, set guard zones, and use Garmin’s variable range markers and electronic bearing lines to measure distances and bearings to land and other vessels.

Both boat radars are built to IPX7 standards and are compatible with Garmin-built chart plotters . 

Raymarine’s original Quantum radar, in 2016, was the world’s first chirp-enabled, solid-state and wireless radar. While the original Quantum lacks Doppler processing, its wireless configuration was a hit with sailors who were less than thrilled to run boat radar cabling down their mast or to drill deck holes. 

Raymarine backfilled Quantum’s lack of Doppler processing in early 2018 with the Quantum 2 radar. Both ­systems are IPX 6-rated, have peak power outputs of 20 watts, deliver 4.9-degree horizontal beam widths and 20-degree vertical beam widths, and employ 18-inch antennas housed in 21.3-inch radomes that spin at 24 rpm for ranges of 18 feet to 24 nautical miles. Both systems can transmit their radar imagery to compatible Raymarine chart plotters over Wi-Fi, or they can share imagery over a RayNet Ethernet cable.

While the radars come bundled in nearly identical radomes, the similarities stop once the echoes start returning and Quantum 2 begins color-coding targets based on their threat level. Quantum 2 also has Raymarine’s automatic target acquisition and tracking features, which generate data including the other vessel’s speed, course, and closest point of ­approach. Sailors can further bolster their situational awareness by configuring safety zones. Once activated, Quantum 2 tracks targets inside the ­safety zone, and it alerts users via visual and audible alerts if new vessels appear. And Raymarine’s true trails feature lets users study other vessels’ previous returns, which Raymarine refers to as “historical wake.” 

While Quantum 2’s range and peak power outputs are less than some other radars. These boat radars also consume less juice, which can be beneficial to sailors on strict DC diets.

David Schmidt is CW ’s electronics editor.

Vendor Information

B&G from $1,900

Furuno from $2,400

Garmin from $2,000

Raymarine from $1,950

What is boat radar used for?

Boat radar is a navigational tool used to detect and track objects such as other vessels, land masses, rain squalls, and navigational hazards that may not be visible to the naked eye. It provides enhanced situational awareness and aids in safe navigation, especially in conditions with limited visibility or heavy traffic.

How far does boat radar reach?

The effective range of boat radar varies depending on factors such as the radar’s power output, antenna size, and height above the waterline, but generally, it can detect targets from a few hundred meters up to 48 nautical miles (89 kilometers) or more for larger, more powerful radar systems.

Is it worth having radar on a boat?

Having radar on a boat can be a valuable investment, especially for larger vessels or those navigating in areas with high vessel traffic, limited visibility, or challenging weather conditions. It provides enhanced situational awareness, helps identify potential hazards, and assists in safe navigation, making it worth the cost for many boaters who prioritize safety and collision avoidance.

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How to use radar on a yacht

• Rachael Sprot
• January 29, 2024

Radar is now more efficient, more affordable and far more advanced than even a few years ago. Rachael Sprot explains how to use rader to keep clear at sea

The life of a radar on board a cruising yacht is an easy one. Aside from a few hours of action when it’s misty or foggy, its younger sibling, AIS, does the heavy lifting of collision avoidance for most yachts.

Once the preserve of large yachts and commercial vessels, however, radar is increasingly found on yachts under 40ft. It’s become more affordable, easier to install and more intuitive to use, but how about its operators? Have we advanced with it and are we using it to its full potential? I suspect not.

Like many cruising boats, the Challenge 72 that I co-skipper, CatZero , constantly receives and transmits AIS data. Since it runs in the background the volunteer watch leaders soon become familiar with it. The all-new B&G Halo 24 radar is turned off until needed.

I took the opportunity of a light airs delivery from Cherbourg to Portsmouth after the Fastnet Race to introduce the crew to the new tool, and become better acquainted with the latest technology myself.

Collision avoidance can often be easier with radar than with AIS

How radar works

With radar, more than any other equipment, it’s important to understand how it works – what it can do and, more crucially, what it can’t. Radar stands for RAdio Detection And Ranging. It works by emitting a powerful radio wave and then listening for the echo as the signal bounces off objects in range.

By timing how long the echo takes to return it can calculate distance with precision. Angles are harder to differentiate: the beam width of a traditional radar is 3-4° wide, which makes bearings less accurate than range.

Not everything makes a good reflector. Metallic surfaces are best, GRP and wood are poor reflectors and carbon fibre lies somewhere in between. Shape matters too: a curved or irregular surface is more likely to return some of the signal in the right direction than a single plane, hence the angular, slab-sides of stealth ships. Water is a good reflector which can be problematic, given the sailor’s operating environment.

What is the range of radar?

Radar range is limited by height. The radar horizon is 2.2 x √height in metres. Although CatZero is a 72ft boat, the radar is mounted on a 4m high arch giving a horizon of only 4M to low-lying objects: 2.2 x √4m = 4.4M.

The range of target detection is increased by the height of the target. A ship with 25m freeboard would be detectable much further away than a semi-submerged container, or other half-sunk nasties. 25m of height adds 11M to the detection range: 2.2 x √25 = 11M.

You can then add the height of your radar to the height of the target to give you a combined maximum range. In this instance, a combined height of 29m, giving a maximum detection range of 15.4M, giving you more time to spot large container ships that tend to travel faster.

Most of the energy from a radar beam is concentrated within 12.5° above and below of horizontal. Unless gimbaled, much of the available energy is heading for the sea or the sky, reducing the range when heeled. Leisure radars normally have a maximum range of 24 – 48M. Unless you’re searching for high land or very large ships, 12M is more realistic.

Yachts are poor radar targets, so need passive radar reflectors, and ideally active radar enhancers, like the mast-head Sea-Me on this Vancouver 32

How to set up radar on a yacht

One of the challenges of traditional radar was the set-up. Brilliance, gain, range and tune controls all required adjustment. Each time you changed the range, you needed to adjust the tune and gain settings too.

Modern radars have automatic tune and gain controls. Preset modes, such as harbour, coastal and offshore, optimise the settings for those environments. In Harbour Mode the antenna spins faster, giving a higher refresh rate to the picture, which is important in close quarters scenarios. Offshore mode will assume a sea state of 2m and rotate slower, which gives the radar energy a better chance of reaching targets further away.

You may want to adjust the auto settings so you can see rain squalls. Photo: Graham Snook

With the ‘instant on’ of digital radar, it takes much less time to bring up a useful picture.

Today’s sets are normally integrated into the chart plotter display. The advantage of this is that you can overlay radar information onto the chart plotter which acts as a check and balance for both systems, but it can lead to quite a busy screen.

Gain adjusts the sensitivity of the receiver. With the gain too high the screen becomes unreadable with noise; too low, and the picture will be beautifully clear, but could start to eliminate small targets. The auto-function on the Halo-24 worked well and allowed for quick range adjustments. However, my preference is to adjust the gain manually every now and then to scan for weaker targets.

Drop the VRM and EBL on a target as a quick way to check if it’s moving towards or a away from you, and whether it’s on a steady bearing

North Up, Course Up, Head Up?

The page can be displayed as north-up, course-up or head-up. Both north-up and course-up are stabilised, one to the compass and one to the course being steered at the time of selection. Head-up is un-stabilised and presents the data as it appears in that moment. With every swerve of the helm the relative positions of targets on screen shift, making it difficult to assess risk of collision.

We selected north-up, offshore mode and a 6-mile range for crossing the shipping lanes. This is a good default for collision avoidance. At this range it’s easier to identify smaller targets, which only become visible close by, whilst allowing time for avoiding action when larger vessels come into range.

Rain and Sea Clutter

Since water reflects radar energy well, it often shows up on screen either as sea or rain clutter. There are tools to eliminate this, but they need to be used with caution as they can remove targets too. Use them sparingly and turn them off regularly to ensure no genuine targets have been eliminated.

If not gimbaled, heel beyond 12º will significantly reduce your radar’s maximum range. Photo: Peter Brogden / Alamy Stock Photo

It’s all relative

Radar sees things in relative motion: we are stationary in the centre of the display and things move around us. Relative motion is the language of collision avoidance: we don’t need to know that another ship is travelling at 12kn on a COG of 123°, we need to know whether we’re converging or diverging.

Anything tending towards the centre of the screen is a threat but, unless we’re stationary or being overtaken, it’s unlikely to be heading straight for us. It is the combination of our courses which creates relative motion, and we must not mistake this for the true motion of the other vessel.

It’s possible for a radar to process the raw data of relative motion and convert it into true motion, which is how a chart plotter displays AIS targets, but it’s complicated. Relative motion is what we want for collision avoidance, so true motion is rarely used.

ARPA and MARPA

Merchant ships use ARPA – Automatic Radar Plotting Aid – to track targets. ARPA locks onto an object and calculates the other vessel’s course, speed and CPA. Leisure radars often have a simplified version of ARPA called MARPA, where the M stands for Mini. I’ve always found MARPA to be flighty and didn’t test it on the day as we ran out of time. It needs good heading and GPS inputs, so has probably improved considerably as the quality of instrumentation has advanced.

VRM and EBL

My preferred tool for target tracking is much simpler: the VRM – Variable Range Marker; and EBL – Electronic Bearing Line. They are the hand-bearing compass of the radar realm and will track targets without the need for any computer or human processing.

A host of targets coming straight for you might look scary, but you may well be sailing through an anchorage. Photo: Clint Westwood/Alamy Stock

Radar target tracking

Traditionally navigators tracked targets on a plotting sheet, taking a position every three minutes. After six minutes there would be three plots. Drawing a line through these indicates their relative motion.

The CPA (closest point of approach) is the point on this line which comes closest to the centre of the screen – us. We don’t know the other vessel’s aspect from this, just that they’re crossing well ahead. However, we could work out their course, speed and aspect using vectors. We know our own course and speed and we know the effect of our combined motion, so we can work out the missing element: their course and speed.

Having done a 6-minute plot, which is 1/10th of an hour, we can easily calculate how far we travelled in that time. At 6 knots, we covered 0.6 miles. We know our heading, in this case 018°, and can draw on our side of the triangle, working backwards from the first plot.

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Then it’s a case of measuring the third side of the triangle to find out their course and speed. In this instance they travelled approximately 1M in 6 minutes, so must be doing a speed of 10 knots. Measuring their heading shows they’re on a course of 295°.

The examiner’s trick question is a target on a reciprocal course, approaching slowly. Normally the speed of approach of two head-on vessels is fast.

By overlaying our own course and speed onto the plot we identify the target is 0.6M closer than their first position, which is the distance covered by us in six minutes. There is no triangle here: the only vector is our own. This target is stationary and won’t budge!

Radar plotting is laborious, but understanding the part your course and speed plays in relative motion enables a more multi-faceted radar interpretation.

At close quarters, a more powerful signal is bounced back and can create echoes

Do you need AIS and radar?

In the age of AIS, there’s an argument that radar is superfluous. AIS is becoming ever more ubiquitous; we don’t just fit it to our boats, we fit it to ourselves in the form of emergency beacons. It doesn’t suffer from blind spots and it provides more information about other vessels.

However, not every vessel or floating object transmits on AIS and it relies on the data transmitted by them being precise. The same MCA guidance advises that AIS is not  yet part of the COLREGS and it should be used to enhance situational awareness rather than relied upon as the primary tool when hoping for collision avoidance.

Although AIS gives a CPA, it’s not always apparent whether the clearance is ahead or astern of the other vessel, which is a drawback. Some newer chart-plotters can show this, but not all of them. Furthermore, on sailing boats where speed fluctuates, the CPA can vary significantly, making it a crude tool for assessing risk of collision.

There is a risk of mistaking precise information – such as a CPA calculated to a few metres – for valuable information. More often it is the broader trend that matters. A radar display with VRM and EBL markers shows the risk of collision with simple clarity.

Objects such as boom and rigging can create blind spots as well as target echoes

Conclusions

What I do know is that we should never believe everything we see on screen. Whether you’re using AIS or radar, no system is entirely comprehensive; they all have their drawbacks. I asked Richard Jennings at B&G whether digital radars were any less prone to blind spots. ‘No, that’s just physics,’ he quipped. You need to know how radar works in order to be wise to these, and then you need to know your radar to understand its idiosyncrasies.

The latest radar technology is impressive – it is quick and easy to set up, and draws much less power so can be left on in the background. I was completely sold on the Halo’s Doppler Velocity Track function. The Raymarine Quantum 2 has similar capabilities, and it feels like a genuinely big leap forward, especially for busy waterways with multiple targets to track. Preset modes and automatic gain and tune controls saved time and reduced the chance of user error. Other radar manufacturers have taken a similar approach.

You shouldn’t need to use VHF radio calls to agree actions as these are in the rules, and voice calls can add confusion

‘We needed to make it easy to get the basics rights,’ said Richard Marsden of Raymarine. These advancements haven’t eliminated all the pitfalls of interpreting it – only training and practice can do that. Courses run by the RYA or Raymarine are an important investment alongside the equipment.

Radar isn’t high on the shopping list if you’re sailing coastal passages with relaxed time-frames. If you’re prepared to wait out poor visibility and sail mainly in the summer the chances of being caught out by fog are reduced.

However, the trip across the Channel reminded me how unnerving fog can be. When the visibility closes in you want all the help you can get, and for vessels making more ambitious voyages, such as CatZero , radar is an extremely powerful tool.

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Ranking the Best Marine Radar Systems of 2024

Raymarine RD418HD HD Color Radome

Raymarine Quantum 2

Furuno Defender

Marine radar used to be a pipe dream for most boaters. A cool sounding gadget, but totally impractical. How could any regular boater use it? Why would they ever want to? It was for commercial freighters and ocean liners. But you can’t stop progress. These days marine radar has come home. There are plenty of small, portable, affordable units.

Radar is one of the greatest inventions ever in terms of boat safety. Navigating in rough seas and fog was far more treacherous before it came along. Now, with radar, a clear path can always be found. Unseen obstacles and oncoming vessels need not be a danger or a surprise.

If you’re a serious boater, you want to have the best marine radar you can get. But what makes for the best marine radar? Let’s take a look at some of the best marine radars on the market. Then we’ll go over what features you need, and why you need them.

With a range of 48 nautical miles, the Raymarine Color Radome operates on 4 kW of power. This kind of radome antenna operates on plug and play technology. It’s easily compatible with a lot of other hardware. Compared to the typical 24 nautical miles, this has a great range.

The Raymarine color radome scanner features an adaptive digital receiver. That means you’re going to have a clear picture no matter what. It easily adjusts to changing weather and sea conditions. It also takes environmental changes into effect quickly and easily as well.

The multi-level target display operates in 256 colors. It even features a bird mode. That means it can detect a flock of birds at a distance. Why is that important? It can show you where a school of fish is that the birds are feeding off of. That can save a lot of time hunting down fish . Just let the gulls and pelicans do it for you.

Dual range mode lets you scan near and far simultaneously. At 21 pounds, it’s not an overly huge unit, either. That means this is ideal for a smaller boat. It features everything you want in a compact shell. It won’t stand out and look awkward on your boat, either.

For the features and the price, Raymarine has hit it out of the park with this marine radar.

$2,099.99 Amazon  →

The Raymarine Quantum marine radar is definitely at the head of the class. It will set you back more than the RD418HD but it’s worth it. It features CHIRP pulse compression and Doppler collision avoidance. Raymarine’s advanced tech can instantly highlight moving radar contacts. Once it does, it can color code them for easy tracking at a glance. It will tell you if they’re coming towards you or moving away.

In high-traffic areas, Raymarine’s Quantum takes a lot of guesswork out of navigating. A quick glance can let you know what’s a potential danger. At the same time, it shows you what’s moving away.

Raymarine’s Quantum also features MARPA tracking. This is used by the U.S Coast Guard. It keeps an eye on dangerous targets. That way you can avoid collisions.

Additional features include TrueTrails target history. This can show you the path other vessels have taken. The CHIRP pulse compression can show you anything even in the thickest fog. And it can identify it as close as 18 feet away.

It has a 24 nautical mile range for traffic detection and immediate awareness. That means it’s on and ready instantly.

Installation is easy and the unit is lightweight. Raymarine boasts it’s actually 50% lighter than similar units. All in all, if you want one of the best marine radars and price is no obstacle, give this a try.

• Buy on Amazon   →
• Buy on Walmart   →

With some marine radars costing over $5000, the Furuno Defender is a welcome change. At a fraction of the price, it still offers reliable functionality. The price is definitely not the only bright spot here. For people who don’t want to get too complicated with technology, this is a breath of fresh air. The Furuno Defender can be hooked up to a smartphone.

The 4kW power output gives you a 24 nautical mile range. That makes it ideal for smaller boats and casual sailors.

The Defender operates something called DRS4W radar. It is compatible with all iOS devices. All you need to do is download their app in the app store. It’s free and very user friendly.

Once using the app, you gain a lot of functionality. You can slip between day mode and night mode. Target distance is also available. You are also able to set up a guard zone around your boat. This means that if the radar detects anything within that zone, your phone will alert you.

The unit is sturdy and can handle winds up to 70 knots. You’re also covered in high heat or freezing cold. It’s also sturdy and waterproof to meet all your needs.

 Amazon  →

Garmin GMR Fantom Marine Radar

The Garmin GMR 18HD+ offers great performance at a reasonable price. The power output here is 4kW, and it provides a range of 36 nautical miles. The images are clear and precise. That includes close up as well, with range detection as close as 20 meters from your vessel.

The Garmin GMR has dynamic auto gain. That means even in poor weather you can expect a good image. It can be easily paired with a heading sensor for increased functionality. Hook it up to a multifunction display and you are ready for MARPA tracking. The unit is compact in size so it will fit nicely on any boat. Installation is also fairly easy.

The Dynamic Sea Filter adapts to changing sea conditions. That ensures you don’t lose signal or clarity regardless of what’s going on. Radar images are overlaid on the chart plotter. That means you have improved navigation capabilities.

• $2199.99 Walmart   →

Simrad Halo 20+ Marine Radar

The Simrad Halo 20+ has a range of 36 nautical miles. It uses pulse compression technology and features beam sharpening. The dual range mode lets you see at a distance and also close up. With 60 RPM operation you can see close up almost instantly to 1.5 nautical miles.

The Simrad features VelocityTrack Doppler technology for collision avoidance. This will help you keep track of any hazards on the open water. You can steer clear of other vessels and objects well ahead of time. It operates in several modes. These include harbor, offshore, weather, and bird modes.

It also features MARPA target tracking. This lets you follow 10 targets simultaneously. If you’re using dual range, it doubles to 20.

Unlike some systems, the Simrad is ready instantly. There is no warm up period during which it has to build up. If you plan to stay close to shore, the Simrad Halo may be the best marine radar for you. The speed and accuracy help you identify close range targets. This can be done faster than almost any other marine radar out there.

• $2299.99 Bass Pro   →

Furuno 1815 Color LCD Marine Radar

The Furuno 1815 4kW marine radar features an 8.4 color LCD display. This means you don’t need to worry about having to try to integrate boat radar into your GPS or chart plotter. It’s an ideal unit for fishing boats. Or just pleasure boating. The radome antenna is small and won’t take up a lot of space. The installation is simple and easy to understand. Also, the controls are highly intuitive. Mastering the functioning will not take much time at all.

Details are displayed clearly and in full color on the display. Fast Target Tracking lets you follow up to 10 targets at one time. True Trail mode also displays the path objects are on. It then compiles that data over time so you can see where an object is and how it got there. The range extends up to 36 nautical miles.

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Things to Consider

Not every marine radar is built the same. There are several factors that can affect which one is best for your boat.

Radar System Range

Marine radars come in different ranges. Think of it like binoculars. Depending on the lens and prism type, some can see a great distance. Others have a much more limited range. So then the question becomes what range do you need and why?

If you’re a casual boater, you may not need any great range. If you tend to stay near shore, a limited range will work perfectly for you. It can still show hidden hazards and vessels in fog.

If you’re interested in more serious boating, a greater range is needed. If you plan to do boating a good distance from shore, this will be helpful. Likewise, if you’re an explorer and want to head to unfamiliar waters. A long range boat radar will eliminate any surprises.

An average range is 24 nautical miles or 26 nautical miles. Even up to 48 nautical miles. 36 nautical miles is rather rare, but it’s a sweet spot in the middle. The best marine radars need to have range plus clarity.

As you can imagine, a more powerful marine radar is typically a better marine radar. A more powerful engine goes faster. A more powerful shower cleans better. It’s just how things work. Power is different from range, although range is definitely affected by power.

A low-powered marine radar will have trouble getting through severe weather and fog. Heavy rain will slow it down as well. These obstructions absorb radar, making it less functional. More power will help it cut through them.

Power for a marine radar is measured in kilowatts (kW). The typical range for a marine radar starts at 4 kW and goes up to about 25 kW. A 4 kW radar has a maximum range of about 48 nautical miles. At 25 kW you’ll get a maximum range up to 96 nautical miles.

There are lowered power marine radars you can get as well. Some down as low as 2 kW. These only have a maximum range of about 24 nautical miles.

The ability of your marine radar to function can be tweaked by more than just power. For instance, a taller antenna can help improve range and power as well.

Types of Marine Radars

Not every boater is aware that marine radars come in different types. They perform the same basic function but operate slightly differently.

Pulse Radar: These are the older style of radar system. They create microwave pulses with high powered magnetrons. It’s rather similar to how a microwave oven works. The pulse are released in short bursts of voltage. Though older, it’s still reliable radar technology.

Solid State Radar: Solid state is the newer style of radar system. It’s also called broadband marine radar. Solid state uses something called Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave technology. This is sometimes abbreviated to FMCW.

Solid state marine radars use less radiation than pulse radar. That’s another thing people don’t often consider. Radar does release energy that could potentially be dangerous. Keep in mind that it’s unlikely you’ll be exposed to a dangerous dose, however. It would take a long time.

Solid state radars are easier to install than pulse. They don’t need to warm up the way a pulse system does, either. They have improved range even using the same power. And they also have a better target resolution.

Most marine radars have a beam width of 5.2°. A narrower beam width is going to provide you with a more detailed image. This is especially true of an object that is far away. It’s like focusing on something with a flashlight beam. But there is a downside. Narrow beam width tends to miss things as well. The narrower your beam, the more likely it is to skip important objects. So you need to have a happy medium. Too wide and resolution suffers as well.

Compatibility

Marine radar systems work in conjunction with other technology. On its own, radar won’t do much, right? You need to see the data it collects on a screen. That means tying it into your GPS or chart plotter.

Some radars come with their own GPS and chart plotter hardware. But most boats will already have a GPS or chart plotter on board. It’s more efficient to tie them together. But you need to make sure your radar actually works with what you have. If not, you’ll need to have some extra technology on board.

Just as with anything else on your boat, you need to settle on a budget for a radar. Even a “cheap” radar is an investment. Some kinds of radar systems can get well over $5000. For that kind of money, you want to make sure you’re getting quality technology.

Cheap radar systems do exist. But never forget that you get what you pay for. If you find a bargain radar, always research it. Check reviews across several sites. Especially if it’s a brand you have never heard of. If you can’t get some reliable history and reviews, you may want to skip it.

Boating Habits

The way that you boat can dictate how you use marine radar system. As we covered, weather can affect how radar systems work. But if you do boating at night, for instance, that has an effect as well. Early morning boating can benefit from high powered radar as well. If you have a fishing boat, you can get a marine radar system that is also a sonar. That way you have the benefit of a fish finder.

Casual boaters will probably just need a simple marine radar system, if they need one at all. But if you’re a real gadget head, then maybe a more intense system is needed.

Choosing the place to mount your radar is as important as the type of radar. If you mount it wrong, it will limit function. Improper mounting makes blind spots. If the radar is obstructed by other parts of your boat, it can render it useless. Your radar should come with a mounting kit. This will always be the best way to mount it. If it doesn’t, you need to do a little homework. Find out the best way to mount your specific model.

At the very least, radar needs to be mounted above the passengers on the boat. This keeps you out of range of the electromagnetism that is being used. You want to look for the highest possible point on the boat. That way the radar can operate at a full 360 degrees.

Waterproofing

Everything on a boat needs to have a degree of waterproofing. That just makes sense. But electronics can be touchy. You wouldn’t want to dunk your GPS or radio, right? The radar is the same way. It needs to be waterproof, however. It’s going to be exposed to sun and surf.

Radar units have specific waterproof ratings. You want something rated IPX6 at least. The IPX scale rates devices based on their water resistance. It runs from IPX0 to IPX9K.

An IPX0 has no water protection at all. At IPX6 it can resist high-pressure, heavy sprays of water. This is ideal for a boat radar. It should be enough to keep it safe in rough seas. It is rare you would find anything above IPX6.

IPX7 means it can be submerged for 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. It is unlikely you would find a radar system that has this rating or above.

Not every radar system is the same size. If you have a small boat, you need a small radar. Not for technology reasons, but for practical ones. Large radar units will be harder to mount if you don’t have the space.

Check the dimensions before you buy. Make sure you have the open space to mount it safely. Likewise, a heavy radar unit could pose an installation and safety issue. Some of these units weigh around 20 lbs. If these are not securely mounted, they could be a danger if a storm tears them free. Mounted in a high space, you don’t need a 20 lb radar hitting you in high winds.

My grandfather first took me fishing when I was too young to actually hold up a rod on my own. As an avid camper, hiker, and nature enthusiast I'm always looking for a new adventure.

Categories : Boats

Shane William Savell on May 25, 2021

Hi, looking for small boat 30foot or do, radars with PI lines. Parallel index lines. Any comments. Cheers. Sav

David L on October 25, 2022

Something for your readers to consider. Will a radar pick up whales in the water. The answer is a resounding no! How then do some radars detect whales. Answer – the same way they all do. They won’t reflect off a whale, they will reflect off the hole in the water a whale makes. This explains why whales come and go on radar. When near the surface they make a “visible” hole in the water. When they dive – they disappear!

The radar horizon for an antenna is about 7nm at sea level and increases to about 12nm for a 100 foot antenna. The power out on a radar is not the critical factor when selecting a product. Your range is obviously extended when detecting targets which are higher than sea level. EG the mast of a merchant ship.

The statement above “The ability of your marine radar to function can be tweaked by more than just power. For instance, a taller antenna can help improve range and power as well.” is misleading, when you say a taller antenna I presume you mean a higher mounted antenna? (A taller antenna in the shape of the reflector would provide no benefit in the marine environment.)Height of the antenna may improve range as described above. It will not provide more power, this is purely a function of transmitter power. For example to double the range of a radar you have to increase the power out by 8 times.

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• Marine Electronics

Entry-Level LCD Radars

Our field test of seven relatively inexpensive radar systems (average price around $1,500) reveals furuno's 1712 as the top choice among monochrome displays. for color, we prefer the simrad ra30..

For almost any vessel over 20 feet there are three groups of marine electronics that are valuable to have on board, not only for efficient navigation, but also for safety. Collectively, these systems not only serve to protect your investment, but might also save your life. They are, respectively, devices for communication, location, and collision avoidance. 

In the first product group, the top item is a VHF radio. Every vessel should have a fixed-mount, 25-watt VHF, as well as a handheld VHF as a backup. In the second group—location devices—the top gadget is a GPS. All sailboats of this ilk should have a fixed-mount GPS unit, and a handheld GPS as a backup. And in the final essential product group (collision avoidance), the best way to avoid running into an object or avoid being hit by another vessel is to have a radar reflector and a marine radar system.

Marine radars, like GPS units, have improved in quality, power consumption, and price in recent years. Gone are the days of the “stick your face in” radar. Those systems were initially replaced with brighter monochrome CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) radar systems that consumed power greedily. And these days, CRT radars are being replaced by LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display systems.

A Little Background Radar is an acronym for “RAdio Detection And Ranging.” A radar system operates in the microwave part of the radio-frequency spectrum used to detect the position and/or movement of objects.

In 1887, Heinrich Hertz, a physicist, began experimenting with radio waves in Germany. He found that radio waves could be transmitted through different materials. Some materials reflected these radio waves. He developed a system to measure the speed of the waves. The data he collected and his experiments generated much interest and led to further development. Hertz’s experiments were the first steps in the development of radio communication, and later radar.

Radar works in a similar fashion to your voice echoing in a large open room or in a valley or canyon. Essentially your voice is the transmitter. When the energy from your vocal cords hits an object, some of it is reflected back. That reflected energy is perceived by your ears. The longer the sound takes to return, the farther away the object is from you. Also, the louder the return echo, the bigger the object that the energy hit.

With most radar systems, position is determined in two dimensions: compass bearing and distance. The display presents position information in polar coordinates commonly referred to as PPI or Plan Position Indicator. A rotating antenna transmits pulses at specific intervals known as a duty cycle. The time delay between a transmitted pulse and the echo, or return pulse, determines the distance of the target for each azimuth direction on the display. The greater the echo delay from a particular object, the farther from the display center that object appears.

When you are choosing a radar system for your boat, there are a couple of specifics you should keep in mind. While transmitting range and power are important, they are not the only factors that should influence your decision. The range of a radar system depends on several variables, and the height of the scanner above the waterline is chief among them. Radar range is directly related to height—the higher up the radar is, the farther it will see. Mounting your scanner well up in the rig can be a great asset. Keep in mind, however, that by doing so you’re creating a greater circle around the vessel that the cone-shaped energy beam issued from the scanner will not see. Thus any targets in this circle will not return echoes. Of course these are close-in targets and they’re the ones that are most important for you to be aware of. Who cares if you can see a passenger ferry 48 miles away? You want to see that powerboat screaming towards you in the fog on your two-miles-or-less scale.

Typically, sailboat installations have the radome—the unit that houses the rotating antenna—mounted near the first set of spreaders or around 20 feet above the waterline. In powerboats, the radar is either mounted on a radar arch or on a deck above the pilothouse. If you mount the antenna higher than 22 feet above the waterline, you will not gain much in range, but you may lose more close-in targets. Another critical consideration regards the installation of the scanner. It should be put it in a location where the beam that it issues will not pass through GPS sensors, Loran or weather fax couplers, and most importantly, people. Keep the antenna at a minimum of two feet above and least five feet from where you, your crew, and your passengers spend the majority of your time on board.

When you are looking at the power output of radar systems, in most cases a 2kW radar system can give excellent target imaging for inshore applications on 20- to 50-foot vessels. Higher power ratings like 4kW and 6kW systems may have a longer “range” than a 2kW system, however, the real performance gain is seen when the weather conditions are bad.

Rain and snow have a tendency to reflect and absorb radar energy. When the energy is reflected we are able to see the size and the pattern of the storm. Because rain and snow absorb radar energy, they can block your view of targets and land masses. This is where additional power becomes an advantage. The increased energy punches through the weather and allows you to see the targets. Fishing vessels, for example, like to use higher power radars to see indicators like birds working an area of bait.

The LCD revolution has helped with the lower power consumption. The CRT displays wasted a lot of power just in heat dissipation alone. Older styles of radar generate high voltage to keep the magnetron “heated” and ready to operate in the displays. Via the scanner cable, they supply the voltage, and more importantly the current, to the scanner assembly. More current is required to carry the voltage to the scanner. Modern marine radar systems generate the high voltage required for heating the magnetron in the scanner assembly, but there is no power loss as the high voltage is generated and consumed in the same location.

Power consumption of current marine radar systems is surprisingly low, when you consider small vessel radars range from 2kW to 60kW. This is the case for two reasons. This power rating is a peak power rating, and that amount of energy is being used for an extremely short time, typically less than a millionth of a second. This pulse will repeat many thousands of times per second. Most small vessel radar systems usually consume less than 75W of power when operating.

The size of the radar antenna is another important variable to look at when choosing your radar system. The antenna transmits the energy at a “wide” vertical angle to cover the entire target range area with radio waves. The antenna also transmits at a “narrow” horizontal angle. This allows the system to see targets that are close together, so that the targets are perceived as individual items as opposed to one large mass. This discrimination of targets is called resolution. A vertical beam angle of about 25 degrees is common to most systems. The length of the antenna determines the horizontal beam width. The longer the antenna, the more narrow the beam’s horizontal width, creating greater target discrimination or resolution. Short length antennas (18″ and 24″) typically housed in domes provide approximately 6 to 3 degrees of horizontal angle. Open-array antennas, typically 2′ to 12′, produce a horizontal beam from 3 to 1.9 degrees.

Test Parameters We wanted to look at marine radar systems that a majority of boaters could afford and install in about a weekend. So, we evaluated entry-level, stand-alone radar systems. The products that interested us most were 2kW radar systems with monochrome and color displays. We chose those with list prices under $2,000 for the monochrome systems and under $3,000 for the color systems.

Among the monochrome systems we selected are the Furuno 1623, the Furuno 1712, the JRC RADAR1000 MKII, JRC RADAR 1500 MKII, and the Raymarine SL72 Plus. We tested two color systems: the JRC RADAR 1800CP, and the Simrad RA30.

We conducted our tests along the shores of Long Island Sound at Avery Point, close to the University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus. We chose this location for several reasons: It allowed the tests to approximate actual use on a sailboat because all the scanner domes were affixed at approximately 15 feet above sea level. Also, this site sits in close proximity to two sets of fixed radar targets. The first is the New London Ledge Light House, and the second was a set of rocks closer to the water—Black Rock. This is also a high-traffic area for automobile and passenger ferries and other large vessels moving in and out of New London Harbor, giving our units lots of targets in motion.

We evaluated the systems with the following concepts in mind: product construction, installation and set up adjustments, menu navigation, functional control, and target resolution. All of the systems evaluated have NMEA 0183 inputs. This is a valuable feature to have in your radar because you can interface the unit with your position finder and view your own vessel’s position on the radar screen. And this interface will give you range and bearing to a waypoint, if you have one selected. If you have NMEA-capable instruments on board, you can also display that information on your radar display.

Display and Construction The most evident improvements in marine radar have come in the displays. All of the radar systems we evaluated had waterproof displays, which is the biggest improvement of LCD systems vs. CRT systems. Now you can mount these newer displays in exposed areas, like on a cockpit steering pedestal. The systems we evaluated also allowed for mounting in a dashboard or hanging down from the overhead of a pilothouse. Two of the systems—the JRC RADAR1800CP and the Simrad RA30—are color LCD display systems with 256 colors and high resolution. These offer much greater detail and target discrimination than is possible with 8, 12, or 16 shades of gray. We also found the viewing angles of the color LCD displays much improved.

Radome technology is another area where critical improvements have been made. Radomes are now lighter and more powerful, with tremendous capabilities in a small package. The radomes we examined weigh from 8 to just over 14 pounds, and all of them make very little noise when they are working. This enhanced quiet while transmitting is due to better electronics driving the pulse circuitry. And all the units we tested had good seals where the fiberglass dome meets the base. Additionally, all these radomes have drip holes to drain off condensation. (An important aside about installations: Do not block or caulk the drip holes in a radome. Your efforts to stop moisture getting into your dome will likely backfire. Blocking the drip holes will cause condensation and salt to build up in the radome and probably lead to a system malfunction.)

Installation and Set Up After installing your radar system, three parameters need to be addressed for the system to be considered operational and reliable. For our test, we carefully followed the system manuals to properly complete each adjustment and evaluate the navigation of the menus.

Tuning control: All of the systems we looked at had automatic tuning control. Control of the receiver circuitry by this system processor has taken a lot of the guesswork out of setting this parameter. You no longer need to adjust the tune after the antenna electronics warm up or cool down. We wanted to test how well the Auto Tune function worked with the products so we manually adjusted the tune controls and found that the factory presets were almost always on the mark.

Bearing Alignment: This process is completed to ensure that targets appear at their correct bearing relative to the ship’s bow. As with the tune adjustment process, the factory presets were very close to what we ended up with after the manual adjustments were completed.

Display Timing Adjustment: The length of the cable used to connect the display unit to the scanner can affect the display timing, which in turn can have an effect on the short-range target accuracy. If you have extended or reduced your antenna cable, you will need to complete this adjustment. Incorrect timing is most noticeable on the 1/8- or 1/4-mile range scales. Long targets like bridges or breakwaters may appear to be curving away (timing is early) or pulling in (timing is late) from the vessel. When you complete your installation, check out the timing parameter to be sure you have the proper antenna timing. For our review, we completed a tune adjustment and bearing alignment on the systems. Because we did not modify the original scanner cable, there was no need to adjust the system timing.

Menu Navigation Current marine electronics controls fall into two groups: dedicated function control buttons (direct entry) or multi-function control buttons (menu driven controls). Both styles of control have advantages and disadvantages. If a system has all direct, entry controls, there are more buttons on the display and it can be confusing. A system with menu driven controls has fewer buttons, but each button contains more controls and this can be just as confusing. We like a little of both, which allows the operator to easily control the display with the fewest button pushes.

Target Resolution All of the displays we reviewed returned decent targets. We can happily report that none performed poorly. They all returned targets giving us our location in relation to the shoreline and the fixed targets of New London Harbor.

Additionally, all but one of the displays we tested had a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels; the Simrad RA30 had double that (480 x 640), so its target information showed up more brilliantly. All of these had varying levels of brightness and contrast, with adjustable backlighting. We evaluated the displays in bright sunlight and the target information on all of them was easily viewed.

Furuno 1623 and 1712 The 1623 radar system offers a high-contrast, 6″, silver bright, LCD display and the 1712 system has a 7″, silver bright display. Both systems have four gray-tone levels to display target intensity. The 1623 system has 13 ranges 0.125 to 16 nm and the 1712 system has 14 range scales from 0.125 to 24 nm. Both systems offer a watchman mode, which intermittently takes the system out of standby and transmits for a number of sweeps to save power. This mode allows the 1623 and 1712 to only use about 8W of power.

The 1623 system has a 15″ dome weighing a little over 10 pounds. The antenna has a 25-degree vertical and 6.2-degree horizontal antenna beamwidth with 2.2kW of transmit power. This system has a feature that none of the other radars have. The rotation speed of the antenna is variable. The 1712 radar system has an 18″ radome weighing almost 11 pounds. The antenna has a 25-degree vertical and 5.2-degree horizontal beamwidth with 2.2 kW of transmit power, and rotates at 24 rpm. It is also wind load rated to 100 knots. Both systems come standard with a 10-meter antenna cable.

The best combination of menu navigation and system control goes to the Furuno 1712. This system had the most direct entry style menu control of the most vital functions What we liked the most about the Furuno 1712 was when you wanted to increase or decrease range gain, or use the EBL and VRM controls, they were easy to initiate and control. This is a great feature to have on a pitching deck or nav station. Even while navigating the various menus during the installation setups, this system was consistently easy to operate.

The Furuno 1623 system beat out its sibling for the best target resolution of all the systems we evaluated. The target returns were very consistent and strong, and there’s a good reason for the strong returns. As we mentioned, this system is the only one evaluated that has variable antenna rotation speed. The scanner rotates 24 rpm on the 3-16 nm scales, 31 rpm on the 1 to 3 nm scale and 41 rpm on the 1/8 to 3/4 scale. What does this mean? At the lower ranges, (the range that you should be using for collision avoidance), the antenna is transmitting energy and receiving echoes at a faster rate. This keeps the system receiving target information at a faster rate and displaying that target information with greater resolution or detail.

The NMEA interface cable for these systems is not standard like the other systems we evaluated. The interface cable for the 1623 has a $45 list price and the NMEA cable for the 1712 system is $35.

JRC 1000 MKII & 1500 MKII Both the 1000 MKII and the 1500 MK II systems offer a 6″ monochrome display with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, 9 range scales 0.125 to 16 nm, joy stick control for menu functions, a jog dial to operate range sea clutter, gain and rain clutter, and a power-save transmission mode. The JRC 1000 MKII and 1500 MKII have plastic, four-way mounts making it easy to dismount the display on and off with the touch of a release button. This is a handy feature for those boat owners who want to stow their display below decks. All of the JRC models have rubberized covers over the scanner-display connector.

The 1000 MKII has a 12″ dome weighing less than 9 pounds, making it the lightest dome we evaluated. This unit has a 30-degree vertical and 7-degree horizontal beamwidth antenna with 1.5 kW of power. The transmit power of the 1000 MK II was the lowest of all the systems tested, and the antenna rotates at 32 rpm.

The 1500 MKII has an 18″ radome weighing about 11 pounds. It also has a 5.2-degree horizontal and 30-degree vertical beamwidth and a 2kW transmitting system. The rotation speed for the 1500 MK II is 32 rpm. In standard transmit mode, both the 1000 MKII and the 1500 MKII have the lowest power consumption of the systems evaluated. And both systems come standard with a 15-meter scanner cable.

In our test the JRC 1000 MKII and 1500 MKII had mostly a menu-driven control system. We found this a little awkward when completing the system adjustments. You need to pay close attention to the parameter you are adjusting such as range or gain and sea clutter. JRC models feature J-Dial and joystick controls to work you through the menus. This is where a couple of dedicated buttons would help.

As we mentioned previously, all of the systems we evaluated displayed our test targets and an outline of the shoreline well. With 1.5kW of power, we found the 1000 MK II target returns the weakest of the systems tested. There was more target fading than with the other systems and the consistency of the shoreline information detail that was displayed again was lacking in comparison to the other products tested. The 1500 MK II did offer better target displays than its sibling, but in this facet, the other systems evaluated performed better.

JRC 1800CP The 1800CP from JRC has a 6.5″ color LCD, sunlight viewable, water-resistant display, with a display size of 320 x 234 pixels, 9 range scales 0.125 to 24 nm, joystick control for menu functions, a jog dial to operate range sea clutter, gain and rain clutter, and a power save transmission mode similar to the 1000 MKII and 1500 MKII systems. The 1800CP is also a C-Map NT+ chartplotter. Although this product was not evaluated for its plotting functions, that feature adds to its value as a collision-avoidance system.

The 1800CP has an 18″ radome with 32-rpm rotation speed. It weighs 11 pounds and has a 5.2-degree horizontal and a 30-degree vertical beamwidth, with 2kW of transmit power. This system comes standard with a 10-meter radar cable.

Like the other JRC models tested, the 1800CP has a menu-driven control system with other direct entry function keys for the chartplotting features. The system displayed good target information, and like the 1000 MK II and 1500 MK II, there is an NMEA interface built into the power cord.

The target display and resolution of the 1800CP was the best among the JRC systems we evaluated. The 2kW of power is complimented by high-quality, front-end receiver circuitry. This put it equal to the Simrad RA30 and just below the Raymarine SL72 Plus system for target resolution.

Raymarine SL72 Plus The Raymarine SL72 Plus system has a 7″ monochrome display with four gray scales for target discrimination. The resolution of the display is 320 x 240 pixels, and there are eight levels of display backlighting with three levels of keypad backlighting. The system can operate on 10.7-44 VDC and only consume 10W of power with full back lighting turned on while in standby mode. There are two variable range markers and electronic bearing lines and there are 9-range scales from 0.125 to 24 nm.

The SL72 Plus system comes with a standard 15-meter radar cable and an 18″ radome. The antenna rotates at 32 rpm and has a 5.2-degree horizontal and 30-degree vertical beamwidth with 2 kW of transmit power.

The SL72 Plus was a close second for its combination of menu navigation and system control. The Raymarine manual was useful and easily comprehended. Dedicated hot keys at the bottom of the display can bring up commonly used functions, so adjusting through the system menus was smooth. The SL72 Plus also includes a handy laminated bridge card with a quick guide for navigating the system menus while underway.

The constant and full target returns gave this unit a Good rating in that part of our evaluation.

Simrad RA30 The RA30 radar system is the second color system that we evaluated. The RA30 has a 7″ color TFT display. The display has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, higher than the JRC 1800CP. Target information is presented on the display in four different intensity levels. This provides a crisp display of the information. The RA30 radome measures 18″ and has a horizontal beamwidth of 5.9 degrees and vertical beamwidth of 25 degrees. The antenna rotates at 24 rpm and has 2kW of transmit power. The radome comes with a standard 15-meter antenna cable. Like the JRC system, the RA30 unit had rubberized covers over the connector of the scanner to the display.

The Simrad RA 30 has a feature that none of the other systems offer. The RA30 is the only system that allows the operator to use the standard PPI display of targets as well as a semi-3D mode. The first is in a standard circular display around a center position (PPI mode), and the second in a semi 3-D mode. The latter allows you to see the height of the targets off the water.

When you activate the semi 3-D mode the screen will split between the standard PPI view and the semi 3-D mode. All controls like the EBLs and VRMs affect both display screens. That’s a nice feature, but we think that the RA30 could use some menu simplification. The multiple keypad buttons for navigating the menus and installation sets were a bit confusing and the manual needs to be referred to much more frequently than the other systems while being setup and tested.

Target resolution was good and consistent, and the semi-3D mode allows the operator to evaluate the targets’ relative height off the water.

Bottom Line Because of its easy function control, menu navigation, and superior target resolution, our overall top choice is the Furuno 1712. Subsequent to our testing, Furuno discontinued its 1712 and replaced it with a model that has identical specifications. Except for a larger radome, the differences between the new Furuno 1715 and the 1712 are cosmetic. These changes, say company representatives, were made so the new system better fits the design of other products that the company makes for the helm station.

We’ll reiterate that the products evaluated here are entry-level radar systems, but their function should be sufficient to suit the needs of most midsize sailboats. We should also note that after purchasing and installing a new radar system, it’s vital that you spend some time learning how to use it properly. The operation manual that accompanies the unit is a valuable resource, as are the many aftermarket instructional videos available. After that, practice using the radar unit in good conditions, especially when transiting in and out of harbors. This will help you learn to recognize land masses and key targets that can be important landmarks later on when you find yourself out there in the soup.

Also With This Article “Value Guide: LCD Radar” “Performance Ratings” “How to Speak Radar”

Contacts • Furuno, 360/834-9300, www.furuno.com • Japan Radio Company (JRC), 206/654-5644, www.jrcamerica.com • Ray Marine, 800/539-5539, www.raymarine.com • Simrad USA, 425/778-8821, www.simradusa.com

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Best Marine Radar

Captain tyler brady.

• August 30, 2023

Radar ( ra dio d etection a nd r anging) was one of the technological marvels of World War II. Like many emerging technologies, it arrived as a weapon. The thought of being able to see other objects in the dark, whether in the air, or on the water was like science fiction when radar was first introduced, but now, that amazing technology is available for private use on your fishing boat.

The usefulness of radar in avoiding obstacles like shorelines, rock outcroppings, and, most importantly, other boats is incredible. So was the price of private, commercially available radar. The yachts of the ultra-wealthy were the first to get radar, but when a private yacht is the size of a cruise ship or a navy destroyer, the price wasn’t an option.

In this review, we’ll look at the best marine radar on the consumer market. There are many options, designs, and manufacturers, and we’ll look at price, features, durability, warranty, and reputation along with other specifications on each of them.

Best Marine Radar – Closed Dome

Our Picks For The Best Open Array Radar

Marine Radar – a longer history than you might think

The big names of the early days of radio, electricity, and innovation are all tied to radar history. Heinrich Hertz, the man whose name is attached to nearly everything digital these days, as in kilohertz, megahertz, and gigahertz, dabbled in early experiments that eventually led to radar.

Guglielmo Marconi, is the man who first sent radio waves from Europe to America. Moreover, he is responsible for those ridiculous AM radio ads, (OK, maybe we shouldn’t blame the great Italian scientist for that) and also experimented with bouncing radio waves off metallic objects to determine their distance.

None of these experiments were really radar; they could detect the presence of a large ship a few miles out at sea but couldn’t determine the range, direction, or speed. It was just a spark that emitted a burst of static, telling you something was out there.

The first directional radar came about as war clouds descended on Europe in the late 1930s.

All the major industrial powers worked on developing radar, with the Germans and English taking the lead over the United States and Japan.

By the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, the English determined the speed, direction, and number of German Luftwaffe bombers approaching their island from bases in France.

As the war progressed, radar units became much smaller, able to be fitted on every warship and then onto merchant vessels. The miniaturization continued with bombers and large night fighter aircraft equipped with radar by the end of the war.

We wouldn’t think of getting onboard a commercial airliner without radar today. Commercial merchant ships, and charter fishing boats all have radar, and now, so can you on your cabin cruiser, sailboat, or even your bass boat.

Why Do You Need Radar on a Fishing Boat?

This is an often asked question, but the same people who ask it wouldn’t hesitate to have the latest, most technologically advanced fish finder on their boat. Fishfinders use a sister technology born of war to radar, sonar.

The cold, wet, icy sailors on the North Atlantic in World War II avoiding German U-boats would be amazed that this technology could now be placed on a tiny private fishing boat.

Radar has advantages for the angler, especially those that fish very popular lakes, bays, estuaries, and along coastal shipping routes.

Discovering an 800-foot-long tanker emerging from the fog trumps all that fun you just had to pull in halibut a couple of miles off the Oregon Coast. Even if it misses you, the ride in the wake of a big ship can be a life-altering (or ending) experience.

Some of the best fishing occurs on foggy days when a low-pressure system entices fish into feeding frenzies. Many prudent fishermen have long avoided those foggy days, fearing having their boat crushed by a larger vessel emerging from the fog.

With radar, that’s not a problem. The fog blocks your vision, but it does not affect the radar. You can spot all the surrounding ships, whether it’s foggy or in the blackest of night. Radar is another set of eyes working on a spectrum that our eyes cannot see.

What to Look For in a Marine Radar Unit

The first question is how are you going to use your radar? If you’re simply trying to avoid other boats in the fog, keep track of the shoreline, or help you back to the dock after dark, you’ll only need a very basic unit. This unit can do all the things described above. Moreover, many lower-priced radar sets can’t track multiple ships in real-time while generating distances from shore and avoiding collisions from both moving man-made objects and the natural barrier that nature has along the shoreline.

Along with what you plan to use your new radar for comes the question of how often are you going to use it. If it is for finding your way in foggy or dark, moonless conditions, you’re not going to put it to the test, you’re a basic user and not in need of advanced technologies. That should make your decision easier, and the strain on your bank account is easier.

The bank account connection leads to another consideration, how much money do you want to spend on a radar unit for your boat?

Prices have dropped a lot since personal radar was first introduced. You can purchase systems now with great functionality for just over a thousand dollars. With any technology, especially one designed to work in the trying conditions found on fresh and saltwater fishing adventures, the price goes up as the features increase. The old saying, “No bucks, no Buck Rogers” holds in almost every aspect of fishing but is especially pertinent to boat-mounted electronics like radar.

With price and functionality comes the question of where will you put this unit on your boat. Do you have enough room to carry a radar unit, is there a place for the antenna, the base, or a power source you can easily connect the unit to? These are considerations, that may not be as important if you have a 45-foot yacht, but are a factor on the 16 or 20-foot fishing boat, or 24-foot pontoon party barge.

The final question is a technological one. How many features do you need? Does the unit need to interface with the GPS on your fishfinder ? Do you require it to work with the mapping software also available on high-end fish finders? Is this a standalone device or a multi-function system?

Radar is advanced technology on a fishing boat, and it requires advanced technological questions to be answered before you ever connect the positive and negative leads and take them out on the water.

With all these considerations in mind, let’s take a look at what’s out there on the market.

Best Marine Radar Reviews

Raymarine quantum 2.

This is the top-of-the-line in marine radar, and it comes at a top-of-the-line price. If you’re after the most advanced number of proven, high-performance features, don’t look any further in this review, this is the radar for you.

General Options

Doppler’s radar images move targets, creating real-time situational awareness of surrounding boats and structures. In other words, it’s like the control tower at a major airport; you have 360-degree coverage of everything on the surrounding water.

This marine radar unit features fully automatic MARPA (mini automatic radar plotting aid), which can track targets automatically as they appear. Moreover, you can set a target, and the system will keep track of that set target for you, a handy aid in returning to the dock in pitch-black darkness.

The ability to record the motion history using Raymarine’s adjustable TrueTails software.

CHIRP (compressed high-intensity radar pulse) allows the detection of extremely close objects at distances of less than 20 feet. It does this by transforming long-duration frequencies into narrow pulses with much higher amplitude. It takes a narrow high peak power pulse from long-duration pulses at low power.

A true “horizon to horizon” radar system with a 24-mile range, identical to the distance an object first appears over the horizon on the water as it emerges from the earth’s curvature. The 24-mile range works with traffic on the water, buoys, and landfall and can detect strong approaching weather fronts.

It has an immediate awareness system, meaning it starts instantly and is ready to go. 

Inference protection eliminates noise and chatter from other radars in the area, allowing clear imaging on your device.

Setting up the radar can be done via a Wi-Fi connection on a phone, laptop, or tablet for easy installation.

The system can be easily upgraded both digitally and physically. All Raymarine scanners are built with the same bolt pattern so any new device can be placed in the location of an older model without drilling more holes in your boat.

It is a lightweight device at just under 12 pounds, with more features than competing models that can weigh twice as much.

The final attribute is a low power consumption rate, ensuring you’ll have clear imaging without draining your boat’s batteries in the process.

The diameter of the circular radar housing is 21 inches and only eight inches high. As stated earlier it weighs about 12 pounds and can work on either 12 or 24volt DC power, with a power minimum of 10.8 volts and maximum input of 31.2 volts.

In transmit mode it draws a maximum of 17 watts, in standby seven watts, and when in sleep mode it draws just two watts.

Designed to operate in temperatures from 14 to 131 degrees, and in storage conditions ranging from -13 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. The upper-temperature limits are important, since it’s easy to hit 131 degrees in direct sunlight in summer conditions, and many storage sheds get extremely hot during the summer months.

The transmitter works from 9354 to 9446 MHz at a peak power output of 20 watts, with pulse widths of 40 ns to 14.7 us, and a chirp length of 400ns to 20us.

The antenna sweeps at 24 revolutions per minute with a 4.9-degree horizontal and 20-degree vertical sweep.

The Doppler radar is truly remarkable with the ability to track 25 objects simultaneously using either MARPA or ARPA targeting.

The final attribute is an important one to consider. The Quantum 2 is designed for sailboats, and smaller powerboats, but has the range, power, and features to operate on large charter boats and even larger yachts.

This is the Cadillac of personal, consumer marine radar.

Raymarine Color Radome

This simple plug and play technology, with a multi-level 256 color display offers top performance at a reasonable price.

Are you looking for a little more bang for the buck and interested in catching fish more than playing James Bond on the water to avoid fast-moving traffic? This might be the radar unit for you, especially if you’re on to the tricks that many experienced anglers already know when it comes to birds as guides to finding fish.

This unit has a range of 48 nautical miles, that’s double the horizon distance, but it makes sense if you’re targeting objects above the water as well as surface vessels and features near you.

This simple plug-and-play technology, with a multi-level 256 color display offers top performance at a reasonable price.

Weighing 21 pounds, it’s still light enough for almost every fishing or sailboat and operates on 4 kW of power.

The adaptive digital receiver delivers a clear picture of your surroundings regardless of the weather conditions.

The magic of this device for anglers is bird mode. In bird mode, it can detect a flock of birds at a long distance. That swarming cloud of seagulls or a flock of diving pelicans isn’t doing that for their own good or for exercise. These birds have located a school of fish and are feeding on them.

While seabirds prey on small baitfish, so do the larger fish beneath that you’re after. Big fish eat little fish, and we catch and eat the big ones, the apex predators. The predators above unmask the ones below and if you have a bird mode radar, you can join the fun.

Furuno Defender – Best Small Boat Radar

On the low end of the price scale, the Defender is a modestly priced unit that still delivers the basic features you’ll need in a marine radar.

The Defender is a modestly priced unit that still delivers the basic features you’ll need in a marine radar on the low end of the price scale. This is my top pick for the best radar for small boats because it is wireless, compact, and priced fairly.

Operating at 4kW it has a range of 24 nautical miles, once again scanning the horizon across a full 360 degrees.

The Defender utilizes DRS4W radar a technology that allows you to access the information generated from the radar dome on a personal iOS device. That means your cell phone or tablet is the viewing interface.

This innovative, wireless technology cuts down on costs by eliminating the need for a standalone display device.

Download the app, connect it to the Defender, and start receiving imaging data.

The waterproof unit is designed to withstand near hurricane-force winds up to 70 knots, not something you’d want to experience in your light watercraft or fishing boat. Moreover, as you are tossed like a cork on the surface of a raging sea, you can still get radar images, hopefully, of the Coast Guard rescue team approaching you.

The unit is designed to work from below-freezing to the hottest temperatures you can get in direct sunlight on the water.

This is a great device, at a great price for small boats, and sailboats, and in a budget-conscious setting where you can get solid performance at a reasonable price.

The Garmin GMR

The Garmin GMR 18HD+ is reasonably priced, and while it doesn’t have the features and functionality of a Quantum 2, it doesn’t have a huge price tag either.

Here is a name that is synonymous with finding out where you are. Garmin has established the best reputation in the GPS industry with its wide variety of devices, and they’ve also moved to the world of radar. Garmin makes outstanding fish finders using various sonar bands, and they’ve now moved above the water to help with radar imaging.

The Garmin GMR 18HD+ is reasonably priced, and while it doesn’t have the features and functionality of a Quantum 2, it doesn’t have a huge price tag.

The Garmin GMR delivers quality images by detecting objects on the water and a few degrees above 36 miles, or ones as close as 20 meters rolling in out of the fog.

A multifunction display with a MARPA track offers the chance to keep track of surrounding vessels even in the heaviest fog or the darkest moonless nights.

It’s compact, has a 4kW output, and works well day or night.

The Dynamic Sea Filter option adapts to changing conditions on the water, so you’ll always have a radar signal no matter what type of weather is rolling in.

Furuno 1815 Color LCD Marine Radar

Sometimes you just want the basic features of an electronic device devoid of all the bells and whistles generated by marketing groups that are trying to sell a product, rather than deliver a high quality one.

Sometimes you just want the basic features of an electronic device devoid of all the bells and whistles generated by marketing groups that are trying to sell a product, rather than deliver a high-quality one.

The Furuno 1815 is a simple, easy-to-use device that delivers basic radar performance. The 8.4-inch color LCD is a nice fit for small fishing boats, sailboats, or even water-skiing boats. It offers the insurance of detecting surrounding watercraft in limited visual conditions and can get you home, and back to the dock in pitch-black conditions as well.

The fast target tracking feature allows you to monitor 10 targets simultaneously. Obviously, it’s not as many as the 25 objects the Quantum 2 can track, but you’re not paying the Quantum 2 price either.

A range of 36 miles is more than adequate, and it has an option to compile data over time so you can track where an object has been in the past and where it is now.

A small footprint on the radome makes this a good choice for very small watercraft.

The Simrad Halo 20+ Marine Radar

The Halo 20+ has a bird mode, harbor mode, tracks weather, and locates other boats as they move around you. What more could you ask for in a personal radar device?

Radar works on a couple of basic premises, the first being the maximum range you can get with the least amount of power consumed, and the second is the scanning rate as measured by how fast the antenna rotates.

The Halo 20+ has one of the fastest rotations on the market at 60 revolutions per minute at ranges below 1.5 miles. What that means to you is that you’ll have a radar image every second in a cluttered fishing environment or in an area full of jet skies and water skiers. Scanning 360 degrees a second produces an image you couldn’t reproduce visually if you tried to look completely around you.

The Halo 20+ includes MARPA target tracking and has a Velocity Track Doppler feature that works well in collision avoidance. Doppler allows your device to determine the distance of an object and whether it is closing in or moving away from you. That’s a great tool for avoiding other boats that may not even realize you are in their path.

The Halo 20+ has a bird mode, and harbor mode, tracks weather, and locates other boats as they move around you.

What more could you ask for in a personal radar device?

Radar offers many viewing and safety options that weren’t available to private fishing boats, sailboats, and pleasure craft just a generation ago.

Radar was only for the military, commercial shipping, and the yachts of the very wealthy. That is no longer true. Radar has become affordable for just about anyone who owns a boat.

Whether you’re fishing a crowded lake or reservoir, navigating a large, heavily traveled major river, or working in a bay, or offshore, radar delivers another level of security.

Getting lost on the water is a fear for many boaters, limiting them to line of sight from shore in their saltwater or even Great Lakes fishing adventures. Radar extends your vision and makes it possible to target moving objects on or above the water and stationary objects onshore.

A Doppler feature is a nice addition since it will let you know if another boat is on a collision course, moving at a tangent to you, or moving away.

The ability to scan the entire horizon is great for safety, but it’s even better if you’re a fisherman with a bird mode radar and want to find where the big fish are feeding by watching their hungry counterparts from the sky feed on the same baitfish.

You can spend upwards of $5000 or more on a high-end radar system or just a thousand or so on a basic unit that delivers radar’s most important features.

Using radar in conjunction with high-quality fish finders that utilize GPS, mapping software, and guided travel routes creates a high-tech situation that the greatest navies in history didn’t have until a few years ago.

You might not be the USS Enterprise, the Queen Mary, or some random yacht-owning millionaire. However, you can be safe on the water, locate others who aren’t that safe, avoid rocks, shoals, and buoys, and find your way home in the dark with quality marine radar.

For more guidance on choosing marine electronics, check out the pages below:

• Best Fish Finders By Category
• Best Marine Electronics By Category
• Open Array vs. Dome Radar

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AIS versus radar

The current overlap of radar and automatic identification system (AIS) technology leaves sailors on small oceangoing craft in a quandary: Which is the more sensible system in terms of initial cash outlay, amperage use and overall service in ensuring safety and security?

Just as Loran-C and radio direction finders were long ago relegated to the forgotten graveyards of maritime detritus, so too has the short-lived CARD (collision avoidance radar detector) system given way to contemporary AIS technology. However, even with the convenience of AIS, radar is still regarded as the standard for dependable vessel tracking capability and collision avoidance. On the downside, radar uses significantly more amperage than the receive-only AIS systems currently available, which on a large yacht is still a negligible amount easily covered by a combination of the engine alternator and a generator set. AIS offers some — not all — of the advantages of radar at a fraction of the price, yet with much lower power consumption. Large yachts generally employ both radar and AIS in tandem for maximum protection.

On small coastal and offshore cruising craft, where every amp-hour of battery charge counts, power consumption can be a decisive factor in whether to install radar, AIS or both. A typical radar array, such as the Garmin GMR 18 xHD, consumes 3 amps and a modest chartplotter like the Garmin 7000-series GPSMAP consumes an extra amp for a total of 4 amps, or 96 amp-hours per day — more than half the total capacity of an 8D dual-purpose, flooded deep-cycle battery. Few sailing vessels under 50 feet LOA can afford such an extravagance 24 hours a day.

On the other hand, the Garmin VHF 300 AIS radio uses roughly one-third of an amp on standby, equating to a negligible 8 amp-hours per day. The integrated AIS receiver allows you to identify oceangoing cargo vessels, assuming they are also AIS-equipped. The ICOM MA-500TR AIS transceiver functions as a transponder, automatically notifying other vessels of your position. Its screen, similar to that of a radar, provides a simple dot-matrix visual display of other vessels in your area. The unit consume 1.5 amps on transmit and 0.7 amps on receive.

Of course, on a crossing from Christmas Island to Réunion in the southern Indian Ocean, there is no guarantee that large commercial vessels will be AIS compliant. By the same token, there is no guarantee they will bother to monitor the VHF radio. But we can safely assume that most commercial vessels on ocean crossings will have AIS and radar running around the clock, and also will have a radio operator on duty at all times. Even if you cannot see them, they can see you. An 800-foot containership has a lot at stake, so a few thousand dollars’ worth of electronic communications equipment is cheap insurance.

On a cruising yacht sailing well offshore and outside of shipping lanes, the chances of collision with another vessel are almost nil. However, there is always that minute chance, and AIS offers the necessary protection from large commercial vessels. Near land, particularly in dense fog with heavy shipping traffic, those chances are much greater, especially if we factor in the presence of small pleasure craft. Probably fewer than half of all U.S. recreational coastal vessels use AIS or radar.

To sum up, the best collision-avoidance strategy depends on where you sail. If you intend to limit your travels to within 100 miles of shore and your area is prone to fog, such as the California coast, radar makes plenty of sense. On the other hand, if you aim to undertake long ocean passages, spending most of your time in the tropics and closely watching your daily amperage use, then AIS is in some ways the better choice. 

Circumnavigator/author Bill Morris believes the best strategy for succeeding as an offshore voyager is to keep systems simple and, if possible, manual. Key to survival are a basic array of electronics and an aggressive alternative energy matrix to ensure maximum charge and longevity in the ship’s battery banks. Bill’s new book , Sun, Wind, and Water: The Essential Guide to the Energy-Efficient Cruising Boat , is due to be published by Seaworthy Publications in spring 2016. 

By Ocean Navigator

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> > Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. 11-12-2008, 09:56   Boat: Caliber 40 but I doubt that's had any effect on my searches... , particularly Garmin's 18HD and 24HD. And in both stand-by and active modes. I'm also trying to find out the amperage on the 10" MFD, whatever that's being called at the moment. Anyone own these or somehow know how to find out the draw? And if you want to throw in an opinion or two about the quality of these products while you're at it, well... Don't let me stop you. Caliber 40 hull #55 11-12-2008, 10:00   Boat: Marine Trader 34DC and asking? 11-12-2008, 10:20   Boat: Caliber 40 Caliber 40 hull #55 11-12-2008, 17:01   Boat: S M Hudson 60' narrowboat but these are the figures for "C" series MFD's & attached radome radars: C70 9w C80 10w C120 12w 2kw 28w (9w standby) 4kw 34w (10w standby) I can't imagine Garmin figures being much different. Regards 11-12-2008, 17:12   Boat: Caliber 40 draw is lower than I expected. And suprisingly, 4kW radar draws only incrementally more power than a 2kW radar. I clearly don't understand what it means to "transmit" at 2kW vs. 4kW. Caliber 40 hull #55 11-12-2008, 17:28   Boat: S M Hudson 60' narrowboat 11-12-2008, 19:17   11-12-2008, 20:26   Boat: Dragonfly 1000 trimaran to slip and slide down my at low tide to give you numbers, so I hope they help, lol! Garmin 5208 with on stdby -2.1+ amps Garmin 5208 with 18HD radar/stdby (night auto) dim -2.35 amps active with full bright -3.8 amps Radar and chartplotter active -4.1 amps Radar and chartplotter full bright screen -5.3 amps I have only a 2 decimal definition on my meter, so the + on the first line is to take up the slack in the measurement. I suspect the standby radar draw is closer to 100 milliamps. I love this unit!!! Steve B. 16-12-2008, 17:00   Boat: Caliber 40 to run the numbers for me! You're a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks everyone for the help! Caliber 40 hull #55 , , Thread Tools Rate This Thread : Posting Rules post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are Similar Threads Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post PDineno Navigation 2 17-09-2008 14:48 svDragonfly Marine Electronics 12 25-07-2008 10:46 Maduro Marine Electronics 15 25-07-2008 02:01 Beausoleil Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 21 19-12-2007 08:50 Galaxy Marine Electronics 18 09-06-2006 09:03 - - - - - - - Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. Marine Radar 1st Watch Wireless Radar DRS4W 1st Watch Wireless Radar Model DRS4W The world's first wireless Radar that you can access directly from your iOS devices. The FURUNO DRS4W is the first radar antenna in the world that allows you to wirelessly access radar images on your iOS devices, combining ease of use with great flexibility. After installing and setting up the application available from the Apple store for free, you can watch radar images directly on your iPad or iPhone. You are free to move around on your boat whilst still having complete information of your surroundings. Related Contents Move around and explore. Get it at the 1st glance. Less cables, more flexibility. A 4kW radar antenna, powerful yet compact in size. The world's first radar that allows you to wirelessly access radar images on your ios devices., with image quality that matches that of a conventional 10" wired radar, the drs4w will impress you, download the marine radar app from apple app store that is available for free., guard zone alarm available with updated marine radar app ver.2.0.0. Simple touch interface with familiar gestures. Specifications, environment, power supply, equipment list. Antenna Unit RSB-126 Power cable 10/15/20/30 m Radome mount OP03-93 Documentation Locate a Distributor Contact a local distributor for further details. * Specifications subject to change without notice. 10" & 12" Color LCD Marine Radar Display   Model FR-10, FR-12 X/s-band blackbox radar   model far-22x8-bb series, high power x-band fishing radar (50kw)   model far-2258, high power s-band fishing radar (60kw)   model far-2268ds, marine radar   model far-22x8, far-23x8, 6" silver lcd radar   model model1623, 8.4" color lcd radar   model model1815, 10.4" lcd radar   model model1835, 10.4" lcd radar   model model1945, 12" marine radar   model fr-8065, 12" marine radar   model fr-8125, 12" marine radar   model fr-8255, 15" multi-color lcd radar   model far-1416, 15" multi-color lcd radar   model far-1426, marine radar   model far-1513-bb, marine radar   model far-1523-bb, marine radar   model far-15x8, chart radar   model far-3005,    model fice-100 (ice radar),    model foil-200 (oil radar), wave analyzer   model wv-100, 19" radome radar sensor   model drs4dl+, 19" radome solid state doppler radar   model drs2d-nxt, 24" radome solid state doppler radar   model drs4d-nxt, solid state doppler radar   model drs6a-nxt, solid state doppler radar   model drs12a-nxt, solid state doppler radar   model drs25a-nxt, 3.5', 4' or 6' open radar sensor   model drs6a x-class, 4' or 6' open radar sensor   model drs12a x-class, 4' or 6' open radar sensor   model drs25a x-class, 1st watch wireless radar   model drs4w. 139 IMAGES Buyers Guide to Radar Yacht Radar: How to find your way in any weather Yacht Radar: How to find your way in any weather Yacht Radar: How to find your way in any weather Buyers Guide to Radar Yacht Radar. Communication System and Geolocation on the Ship Stock VIDEO Yacht Radar Calibration in Cabo Gulf Coast Yacht Group- 2003 Carver 444 Cockpit Motor Yacht- Water Music 24GHz doppler radar speed sensor K-band mmW radar for Speed reminders for all kinds of roads How These Superyachts Are Powered By Sun’s Energy Anvera Yacht Arcadia 115' COMMENTS 4 Best Boat Radars The power of marine radar is the distance you can use it on and how much it can focus on targets. With a powerful enough radar, you are able to see small things from further away. Furthermore, such a unit will not be affected by light weather changes such as rain, fog, drizzle, etc. The standard power consumption for boat radars is from 4 kW to ... With Radar, the More Power, the Better Raymarine seems to have mastered the power-consumption factor better than Furuno, and for some buyers, this may make a difference. When transmitting, electrical-current draw for Raymarine's 4- and 2-kilowatt radars was 4.4 amps and 3.8 amps, respectively, compared with Furuno's 5.6 and 5.0 amps for its 4- and 2-kilowatt units. Boat Radar Guide: Choosing The Right System Here are some additional key benefits of solid state radar systems: Lower Power Consumption: Solid-state radars consume less power, making them more energy-efficient and cost-effective to operate over the long term. This is particularly beneficial for mobile and remote installations where power supply might be limited. 6 Best Marine Radars Reviewed in Detail (Fall 2024) This marine radar with low-power consumption from Lowrance is a favorite among boaters because it works well with nearly any ship - from small fishing boats to large yachts. On top of that, users love the automatic mode switching between close-range radar in the marina setting and long-range radar in the offshore environment by changing ... What You Need to Know About Solid-State Radar Solid-state radar is able to run on a quarter of that power so you could run four times as long at the same operating level.". While that's a consideration for boats that run on a battery system much of the time, such as sailboats, smart power usage is something all boaters should consider. Also, there's no more waiting for warmup time. AIS vs radar: Do you really need both? Manufacturers are constantly working to make their radars have lower power consumption, better image resolution and greater range. ... Many cruising yachts carry radar sets that are now ageing, and may speak a completely different language to modern instruments' code of NMEA 0182 or NMEA 2000. 4 Best Radome-enclosed Boat Radar Options for Recreational Sailors However, the DRS4D-NXT has a 22- to 22.5-inch antenna inside its 24-inch radome and weighs 16.1 pounds, making it better-suited for larger sailboats. Enter the DRS2D-NXT boat radar, which Furuno released in 2022. This ARPA-enabled system comes bundled in a 19-inch radome, which houses its 17- to 17.5-inch antenna, and weighs 14.3 pounds. How to use radar on a yacht Radar range is limited by height. The radar horizon is 2.2 x √height in metres. Although CatZero is a 72ft boat, the radar is mounted on a 4m high arch giving a horizon of only 4M to low-lying objects: 2.2 x √4m = 4.4M. The range of target detection is increased by the height of the target. Ranking the Best Marine Radar Systems of 2024 Garmin GMR Fantom Marine Radar. The Garmin GMR 18HD+ offers great performance at a reasonable price. The power output here is 4kW, and it provides a range of 36 nautical miles. The images are clear and precise. That includes close up as well, with range detection as close as 20 meters from your vessel. Marine Radar for the Recreational Boater In addition, the lowest DC power draw of any X-band marine radar (1.45 amps) makes this system well suited for sailboats and other vessels with limited power. Even the most powerful solid-state open array radars, the Garmin Fantom™, transmit at 40 watts, compared with 4,000 watts for a small traditional pulse radar. ... Marine Electronics Journal's 7 Best Radars Garmin GMR Fantom 254. GMR Fantom 254 is Garmin's most powerful 4-foot solid-state radar, featuring 250 watts of power. It uses MotionScope technology to detect and highlight moving targets in different colors, which helps you avoid potential collisions, find flocks of birds and track weather. New MARPA Automatic Acquisition allows for ... Everything You Need to Know About Marine Radars A marine radar device acts as a major navigation aid for boaters. It helps in detecting boats, birds, landmasses, and weather systems - even if the visibility is less than usual. Marine radar: Top features to consider . The two fundamental features of a marine radar unit are transmitter power and beam angle. Power can range between 2-4 Kilowatts. Know how: Radar 101 One of the main problems with having radar on small to medium-size cruising yachts has always been power consumption. Now, being solid-state, energy consumption has been reduced by a factor of 10. This, in turn, allows the radar to be left powered up in standby mode, knowing that it can be re-activated instantly with no warmup period. Radome and Open Array Radars for boats The Quantum radar has very low power consumption making it ideal for battery-conscious sailing and electric vessels. Its light weight and wireless data capability also make it ideal for mounting aloft on sailboat masts, tuna towers and other complex and weight-sensitive locations. ... Raymarine's 18- and 24-inch HD Color Marine Radomes are ... Entry-Level LCD Radars Power consumption of current marine radar systems is surprisingly low, when you consider small vessel radars range from 2kW to 60kW. This is the case for two reasons. This power rating is a peak power rating, and that amount of energy is being used for an extremely short time, typically less than a millionth of a second. ... Best Marine Radar (2024 Models) The transmitter works from 9354 to 9446 MHz at a peak power output of 20 watts, with pulse widths of 40 ns to 14.7 us, and a chirp length of 400ns to 20us. The antenna sweeps at 24 revolutions per minute with a 4.9-degree horizontal and 20-degree vertical sweep. AIS versus radar Large yachts generally employ both radar and AIS in tandem for maximum protection. On small coastal and offshore cruising craft, where every amp-hour of battery charge counts, power consumption can be a decisive factor in whether to install radar, AIS or both. A typical radar array, such as the Garmin GMR 18 xHD, consumes 3 amps and a modest ... Seeing Clearly: Understanding the Basics of Marine Radar FMCW radar is known for its low power consumption, fast target update rate, and excellent short-range performance. However, it may not be as effective as pulse radar in long-range detection due to its lower output power. Applications of Marine Radar. Marine radar systems are essential in various maritime operations and for overall navigational ... Open Array Radar and Radomes for boats This lets you customize the radar to your boating style and needs. Raymarine's new Cyclone Radar is the ultimate tool for navigation, collision avoidance and bird finding. Available with 55- or 110-watt power output, and 3, 4-, or 6-foot antenna lengths the Cyclone open array radar is our most advanced offering, ever. Magnetron vs. Solid-state Radar: What's the Difference? If magnetron is the old guard of marine radars, solid-state radar can be considered next-generation technology. Solid state uses pulse compression technology (which is similar to the CHIRP sonar in Garmin fishfinders) to broadcast lower-powered bursts of RF energy using longer pulses. This means that solid-state radars can operate more ... amperage draw for Garmin radar and MFD Location: UK. Boat: S M Hudson 60' narrowboat. Posts: 347. Can't help with Garmin but these are the Raymarine power consumption figures for "C" series MFD's & attached radome radars: C70 9w C80 10w C120 12w 2kw 28w (9w standby) 4kw 34w (10w standby) I can't imagine Garmin figures being much different. Regards. Marine Radar Systems for Boats Radome and Open Array Radar Scanners. Raymarine offers a wide range of marine radar solutions for all types and sizes of boats. Radome or open array scanners network with Raymarine chartplotter displays to give you full radar functionality and improve your overall situational awareness. Choose a radome scanner for its compact size and ease of installation or step up to the improved performance ... 1st Watch Wireless Radar DRS4W Download the Marine Radar app from Apple App Store that is available for free. ... POWER SUPPLY Power Supply / Consumption Current 12-24 VDC: 2.1/1.0 A. Equipment List Standard. Antenna Unit RSB-126 ; Power cable 10/15/20/30 m ; Option. Radome mount OP03-93 ; Documentation. DRS4W Brochure catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht