Marine Radars - 7 Benefits Of a Radar You Can’t Miss

Say the word radar, and the majority of boaters would automatically come up with a thought of something for collision avoidance. When you google, you will find hundreds of stories where radars have saved people, passengers, families, and expensive watercraft from mishaps. Whether you are sailing in dense fog or in the dark - marine radars have a big role to play. We all know the marine environment is too risky and unpredictable. One moment you could see everything clearly, and the next you are totally blind.

A blip on the radar display will indicate any fast-moving object heading towards you directly. When you know how to monitor it, you can determine when you are close to a collision course or when the target is coming close to you and at what speed. As a result, you can reduce your speed and alter the course, keeping our eyes glued to the radar screen to ensure you have enough space between you and whatever is inbound. Had it not been for radar, one probably could have collided.

Marine radars, arrays, and domes along with GPS systems are too important for yacht owners when sailing to the open water. You have a yacht, and you most likely planned to leave it in the marina for almost a year, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to install radar and GPS systems on it. You take it out every other day or a few times a year - the investment you make on buying a marine radar and GPS will pay off well in multiple ways.

Wondering how? below, we will discuss seven reasons that are motivating and convincing enough to buy a brand new marine radar and GPS unit today! Let’s take a look:

1:- Safety.

Your boat needs to be a safe place for everyone onboard. You can’t guarantee an adventure is going to go safe and sound just because you haven’t sailed too far off shore. You must have a reliable radar working so the Coast Guard can locate you in case you use radio for emergency or help. Other than that, the Coast Guard land rescuers can track your position using the radar even if your radio is not working. A radar together with a GPS unit emits continuous signals that are tracked by the rescue teams if ever you get stuck adrift at sea.

2:- Security.

No team of rescuers can retrieve your boat if you don’t have a radar and GPS system on your vessel. For those who have experienced boat theft, they can easily track down their boat, thanks to the advanced marine GPS systems available in the market that come along with or can be added to radars for more security. The rescuer team is able to track the signal emitted by your GPS system to find out the location of your boat. This one small upgrade is the fine line between recovering your boat and not or returning home empty handed.

On top of that, a GPS unit can be additionally used to transmit a distress signal. A single press of a button on the keyboard is sufficient enough to emit a distress signal which is then picked up by the Coast Guard or Navy. You might be unaware of how to save your boat or deal with rough waters, yet you can get help when you have a marine radar installed on your vessel.

3:- Planning.

Radar and GPS systems show a complete map of the location you are currently sailing. One can plan ahead to make port in a particular place. Also, the system will provide you with a plot of your journey, with estimated time of arrival and directions to reach the set port. You can additionally see the exact time you would take to reach the final destination. All this helps you know when you need to stop for the night so you don’t get lost or fatigued during your voyage.

4:- Protection.

You will find different types of floating objects in the water, including the ones you are unable to see unless you have a promising radar system like Garmin open array radar. A radar system on your vessel will alert you about other items in the water that you might not be aware of or are risky. These units can even help prevent your watercraft from running over a reef or sandbar. A radar additionally helps avoid large schools of fish and other marine wildlife.

When a boat has drifted into a shipping lane, it alerts about an impending vessel before you run out of time and there’s no escape. No one can operate a boat well enough to avoid something severe, for example an oil tanker. With the info shared by a radar, you can shift your boat to another direction before you are at grave danger.

5:- Guidance.

A radar and GPS system is easy to operate, to such extent that you can even guide your kids on how to pilot the vessel. Your children should know what to do if there comes a situation when you are disabled or incapacitated to make the move. In addition to this, you would prefer to train your children about how to drive a boat so they can manage it with expertise later on.

While investing your money, time, and effort on a radar and GPS system for your marine needs, remember the tips above and the ones left. You can’t be safe and secure on the water without a reliable radar from a trusted manufacturer like Garmin, Simrad, Raymarine, and more. Moreover, you can’t teach your children how to become pro level sailors if they don’t know what radars are and how to use it.

6:- See Where You Can’t.

After going through the basic advantages of a radar, here are two more that none can match. One is the ability of a radar to see where and what you can’t. The visible horizon isn’t too far from the deck of your boat, but you can see only a small part from your bare eyes. However, radars can see over the horizon! The radar horizon is about 15 percent farther than the human eyeball-visible horizon, given the radar’s microwaves are less prone to atmospheric deflection in comparison to the light that lets human eyes see.

Also, given you mount the radar scanners higher than human eyeballs obviously, the distance to detectable targets is multiplied more.

7:- See When You Can’t.

The overall visibility in a marine environment is greatly compromised by darkness, mist, fog, and precipitation. This is exactly the point where many boaters fool themselves by thinking they’ll be safe as long as the vessel is following the GPS or chartplotter route from one waypoint to another. The issue here is, when you follow a GPS or chartplotter course, it isn’t the charted land that might bring you in danger but the uncharted objects such as other boats and floating debris of big size that can send your boat to the bottom in a matter of minutes.

This is where you need the assistance of the superhero eyeballs of a radar unit for seeing through visual obstructions so you know what’s in your route and when to avoid it.

Bear these seven useful benefits of radar shared above to ensure you can sail with confidence and safety. If you haven’t purchased any yet, it’s time to get on the web and put some cash on a decent marine radar.