Radar ?'s

[poni302]

Could someone explain radar systems to me . I know there are different strengths (miles) But what should i look for and who makes a good one with accessible replacement parts . My budget w/ install is about 3000 to 3500. Any info would be great
Thanks

 

[seabob4]

Re: Radar ?'s

You are looking used, aren't you? With that budget, you're going to be looking at at least $500-$750 install cost, so that brings you down to $2500-$3000 for the system. Do you already have a control head that will accept radar?

 

[dingbat]

Re: Radar ?'s

Depends on what you want from the system.
For night time navigation just about any 2-4KW dome system will do. The narrower the horizontal beam width the better resolution you'll get.

If your into fishing and want to see birds, I'd go with a 6 kW unit and an open array. Be prepared to drop some big money if this is the way you want to go.

For general navigation, I like the Furuno 17XX series. They provide good performance in a standalone unit that will run you $1,500 - $2,500.

Garmin, Raymarine and Lowrance, all make radar add-on to go with their chart plotters. You could get a nice 8" Multi-function Display and add a dome to it and still be on budget.