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Old 21-03-2012, 04:36   #1
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Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

Is there a way to see storms/rain that are over land using radar? I have the Garmin 4208 with the Garmin 18HD radar. I thought it would all look the same but someone told me that it was possible.
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Old 21-03-2012, 04:58   #2
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Re: Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

It will depemd on the topography. Radar return is bounced back from a target if the radar waves encounter a solid enough object. If the land mass is low, the radar waves will continue with no "return" until they hit someting else, Like a mountain, building, or a rainstorm. Reading the return will determine if you are seeing the rainsorm. It takes practice and experiance.
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Old 21-03-2012, 05:08   #3
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Re: Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

I have to say that it is pretty easy to identify rain on the radar. Does need a little practice but you will get the hang of it after one day.
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Old 21-03-2012, 05:49   #4
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Re: Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

With a fixed mount and a vertical beamwidth of 25 deg, the radar can't separate the shoreline from the rain above, and the ground will nearly always have a stronger signal.

You should be able to see rain that lies further inland if the land beneath is shadowed by the nearer shoreline.
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Old 21-03-2012, 05:58   #5
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Re: Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

I have a Garmin 4210 and the same radar, and yes I can see storms and rain over land, as captain 465 said
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Old 21-03-2012, 07:11   #6
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Re: Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

I can remember approaching a cove where I planned to anchor a few years back. It was squally around and the area on the land side of the cove looked black off in the distance visually. So I turned on the radar. It showed a big cell over land approaching the cove. I watched it for about 15 minutes and determined that I was just going to make it into the cove and drop my anchor before it hit. I had just snubbed the anchor when the first gust of rain hit me.

So yes you can definitely see rain over land. It helps if the land mass has a low elevation however.

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Old 23-03-2012, 03:58   #7
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Re: Radar - Can you see storms/rain on land?

Thanks for the responses! I'll give it a try.
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