Marine Radars - 6 Solid Reasons to Invest on a Radar Today!
It’s never enough to speak about radars as they play a crucial role in defining your marine adventures - both commercial and recreational. Thanks to the new technology and dedicated manufacturers, you can find a ton of variety in radars these days. From standalone radars and open array radars to radar dome and complete marine radar packages - the market is full of options!
After a certain distance, your eyes will fail to have the ability to detect even objects that are large in size and peeking above the horizon. However, that’s not the case with marine radars. These advanced marine electronics are not restricted in the way human eyes are. Let’s suppose a fast-moving vessel with a flybridge height of 12 ft above the waterline is heading towards you. Although you might not have the ability to see it, a decent radar antenna mounted somewhere 10ft above the waterline will pick up the target at a range of 8 miles only! This is clearly double the total distance to what you could see. That’s not the end, a radar can additionally track the course and speed of the moving target to help you in monitoring your vessel and make collision avoidance decision before it’s too late to react.
A radar, in short, can help mariners with different things while navigating on water. From providing the extra visibility and information about approaching targets to help you send your vessel’s identity, speed, and course data - it performs multiple functions. In this post, we will talk about six solid reasons you should invest in a radar.
Here we go:
Six Main Uses of a Marine Radar:
1: Need for a Heading Sensor
A heading sensor, (like Humminbird AS GPS HS or popular models from Garmin) is an electronic marine compass used for constantly updating a boat’s heading data quicker than the majority of GPS devices available out there; however, a few GPS antennas also work as heading sensors. This marine equipment help improve the overall performance of a radar system, particularly when you are using ARPA or MARPA for tracking a painted target. It can additionally improve the output of autopilots and other widely-used marine electronics. A heading sensor is a must for creating radar/chart plotter overlays.
2:- Seeing When You Can’t
Marine environments are full of risks and unexpected weather changes. You never know when your clear visibility can turn into dense fog or rain. Visibility on water is greatly compromised by factors like fog, haze, darkness as well as precipitation. It’s when some boaters might be tricked thinking they are safe as long as they are following the route shown on the GPS or chartplotter from one waypoint to another. What they don’t know is - it’s not the charted land that might kill you, but the uncharted objects which are absent - for example, other boats on the same route, floating debris, or even an iceberg that can bring you to the bottom in a matter of minutes. This is exactly where you need the superhero vision of marine radars like FURUNO radar system, SI-TEX radar system, or other powerful small boat radar systems. Radars have gained their reputation by helping sailors see clearly through visual obstructions so that you know what’s out there on your course and what is it that you need to monitor to avoid a possible collision.
3:- Finding a Fishing Spot
Imagine you found a target on the display of your radar, and it’s still or moving at trolling speed. You take a binocular and search for the distant boat, realizing it as a fishing boat with lines in the water. Even better, you see a cluster of targets, all being next to motionless - with a couple of fishing buddies. While you watch them, fish after fish is being reeled aboard, and you recognize this is a hot fishing spot you’ll come back to sometime later. The dark secret of successful fish catchers is they keep the fishing spots a mystery for others. But no more! Radar is the ultimate weapon you need to mark fishing spot of your own.
Once you know your coordinates, you enter the details on the radar EBL (Electronic Bearing Line) and VRM (Variable Range Marker) to know the total distance, location, and direction to the target fishing boat. This makes it easier to chart coordinates of the prime fishing spot for your future reference. The advanced radar systems like FURUNO radar system, SI-TEX radar system, Garmin Fantom radar, Raymarine radar, and more can integrate with your GPS to help you scroll the cursor over the target and get a GPS coordinate of the newly-found fishing hole. Although it’s right to say you can purloin a secret wreck from a vessel equipped with - and broadcasting - AIS, a radar enables you to actually capture the position of any distant vessel’s.
4:- Grabbing A Waypoint
The technique shared above to mark a fishing spot of your own can be likewise applied for grabbing a waypoint for any object showing up on your radar’s screen. You might spot an unknown target on a radar that may turn out to be something as shocking as a dead whale floating on the surface. With the advanced radar functions, you can determine coordinates and relay the same data to the respective authority like the Coast Guard as a hazard to navigation. The latest marine radar packages offer you many more interesting features for easier records of waypoints and more storage.
5:- Weather Alert & Squalls
You can also adjust the radar sensitivity to show rain squalls in the near distance, enabling you to determine whether or not your position is at risk of the squalls. It might lead you to batten down the hatches or take misleading action, and begin whatever heavy-weather tactics you decide to use for keeping your vessel and crew as safe as possible amid such conditions.
6:- Better Situational Awareness
Radar is often used even when the weather is clear and the sun is shining bright. Wondering why? Because it improves situational awareness, alerting the boaters and sailors about any fast boat overtaking from astern or approaching from an obtuse angle. Without needing to have your head on a swivel, continuously looking over your shoulder, the radar will show any potential danger like no other marine navigation system or device!
It’s been more than 75 years since marine radars are here, but the technology still remains the best of all when it comes to collision avoidance. Moreover, the upgraded marine radar packages come with many more exciting functions that are far from the reach of other pieces of marine electronics in the market.
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