Radar Question ......

[sailsmanship]

This is a novice question...Can your average radar system detect an approaching storm, or is it basically just for collision avoidance?

 

[Boatist]

Re: Radar Question ......

Yes adjusted properley you can see a rain shower but only for a very short range. Also it must be adjusted perfect. Most of the time Your eyes will tell you what coming before the Radar does.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Radar Question ......

Complicated, high dollar sysems do it regularly and do it nowadays in color. I spent many a year in that industry. If you have ever been on a commercial jet with all the big puffy Cumulous clouds about and noticed the aircraft doing a lot of acrobatics, it was because the pilot picked up a thunderstorm cell on his cockpit radar and was in the process of avoiding it.

Furno and/or Raytheon are a couple of companies that do or did make Radars for the Personal Watercraft (Boating....NOT PWC) industry. I am not familiar with their current products. Might look them up on the www, but it's not that difficult (from a design/equipment standpoint) to look for them. Would think that any boat radar worth it's salt would be designed to pick up squalls, in addition to buoys, other boats, and land masses.

Several problems with marine Radars however, are the location (close to the surface) and shape of the antenna (short) and more than likely no tilt gymbal. Makes for short ranges, but for speeds most boat's travel that's ok.......if you're fast enough to outrun the squall that shows up on the screen.

Mark

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Radar Question ......

Depends on the frequency of the radar. Most marine radars are x-band which will reflect off moisture. The problem is more a power one. Marine radars on small boats are relatively small power as opposed to what would be on an aircraft.

The higher the frequency, the more reflectivity. That is why many weather radars are the higher K bands.

Most of my engineering carrer was with Raytheon/Hughes in the digital signal processing of radar for missiles, automotive collision avoidance and SAR(synthetic aperture radar) used for ground mapping. We worked with many radar frequency bands.

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Radar Question ......

Would there be any other way, other than listening to VHF that would be worth the investment to get a heads up on a storm. I boat on LakeErie and it can go from calm to crazy in a heartbeat...

 

[Boatist]

Re: Radar Question ......

Take a weather course and you can learn the type of cloudes where you will find severe weather. Even the Coast Guard Aux "Boating Skills and SeaManship" 13 week course has one week on weather. I Taken it 3 times and the US Power Squardons 2 times. Allways learn something and can also help a lot of the new boater just starting out.

The Good Class is 13 weeks and is free but you do have to buy the Training Manual, About $15. First class I took the entire family. I think everyone should take it at least one time even if you been boating your entire life like me. You will learn a Lot and be a safer better informed boater.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Radar Question ......

Hey Bruce, so you were one of those guys that I had to keep the ripple off the TX pulses so as not to interfere with the doppler from the return. d

Mark

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Radar Question ......

Yep...you were causing all the radar "birds". Usually the receiver that is the problem though.

 

[xtraham]

Re: Radar Question ......

EDIT:

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: Radar Question ......

I never thought that products of this kind where even in existance. To be able to see approaching weather patterns in a sonar reading is absolutely amazing. I would think this type of electronics would be very useful onthe ocean, and not used at all on lakes.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Radar Question ......

Sas we are talking about electromagnetic waves propagated thru the air. Sonar (Sound Navagation and Ranging) is sound waves propagated through a solid (semisolid....liquid).

Radars have had high definintion for years and primitive ones have been on boats back as far as WWII (that I know of). Sonars of today may have some hot dog signal processor that can show distinguishing features about a target, but they are probably complicated, thus expensive, and in use by the military with their parameters classified (unavailable to those not having a need to know).

Fish finders are getting pretty classy and I guess by definition they are Sonars.

I can remember recreational boats having radars maybe 30 years back.

Personally I can't imagine an aircraft or large boat navigating without a Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) or a Sonar system (of some sort)......especially at night.

Mark

 

[Aficionado]

Re: Radar Question ......

Many radars can detect approaching storms. Unfortunately, using your radar effectively takes quite a bit of adjustment and experience. The best thing to do is to check out the various manufacturers owners manuals to see what they say specifically to tune for weather and also how accurate they can be. I play with my radar constantly and still have gotten it to the point where I am 100% comfident interpreting what I am seeing on the screen. I am also confident it will come in time. www.battlewagonmounts has links to the major manufacturers current and retired models. Go to the radar mounts page and click on the manufacturer.

 

[slasmith1]

Re: Radar Question ......

If you use the Ray Marine C or E series you can add sirius sattelite weather. I have this on my boat and it works very well it updates noaa radar data every five minutes. But just like sattelite radio there is a monthly charge for the service.

EDIT: sorry mods I got sucked into a 2 year old post.