Marine Radars

The main purpose of most marine electronic devices is to make your navigation safer, more precise and comfortable. The same goes to radars engineered to help boaters avoid collisions that may often occur due to a variety of factors. Equipping your boat with a technologically advanced radar, you will be able to navigate tricky areas even in poor weather conditions with maximum confidence and little stress. A radar has proved to be a real lifesaver and a kind of device your boat cannot do without.

Even if you are almost sure that during your next boating trip encountering other vessels is highly unlikely, using a marine radar is still strongly recommended. Apart from identifying other vessels around your boat, this useful navigation aid will also help you avoid collision with an entire range of other navigational hazards, including rocks, structures, birds, etc. When choosing the right type of radar that will perform well and lead you through fog, storm, or darkness, there is a number of factors that should be considered. Among them is power output, compatibility with other boat electronics, boat size, etc.

There are two main types of radar units: radome and open array radars. The latter are basically long rotating arms located on top of the vessel. They are usually installed on large power boats and are mounted in pilothouses or radar arches. They have the longest range and precise focus. Beamwidth ranges from 3.5° to 1.1°. Radome radars have the moving parts inside the unit, which resembles an 18”-24” dome. Radome radars are given preference to when the space on your boat is limited. Showing off beamwidth between 3.5° and 7°, these radars provide decent resolution and are commonly installed on sailboats, small cruisers and fishing boats.

When shopping for a marine radar system, it is always better to opt for a more powerful unit. Radars with bigger power output have larger range, in other words allowing you to see the targets that are located further away from you. Typically, the recreational boat radars offer power output from 4kW up to 25kW, the basic unit being capable of picking up targets located up to 48 nautical miles away. Modern day radars can make use of conventional pulse technology, broadband technology or hybrid pulse compression approach. Any radar requires smart positioning for maximum range and minimum blind spots as well as compatible electronics.