JRC 1000 Radar - Any Good ?

[Uncle Buck]

I have the opportunity to buy a used set-up (with manual, no cut cables) complete for around $500. I understand it is very basic and the range is 15nm, and I am fine with that. How is reliability and longevity? Availability of parts etc (I am in NorCal)? I intend to mount and (hopefully) also wire it up myself.

Thanks,

Evan

[S/V Alchemy]

I recall that it's basic indeed, and started to disappear off boats 5-7 years ago. While an old radar is better than none, I would think once you establish that it's not an "orphaned" unit incapable of being repaired, the main consideration would be power draw and beam width. The first relates to being able to sail all night with the radar in "guard" mode and with nav lights burning, and the second relates to how well it spots approaching weather and stuff in the water.

Even though I have plenty of amps to burn, I would not consider getting the old style radar because the new "digital" ones are superior in most (but not all) respects, particularly for the close-in, pea soup sort of conditions I'd want a radar for. I would also not really consider getting a radar today without an AIS unit, as I consider them very complimentary technologies that extend the capabilities of each other.

So while I might like to have a basic "spare" setup, especially in the Pacific, I'm not sure if even $500 would tempt me. Be aware that radomes of that vintage are more or less motorized transceivers. They are subject to aging and wearing out, which degrades performance. You'll want to figure out how much it was used and whether it was installed well.

[Uncle Buck]

Thanks for the advice - certainly I agree that newer technology is superior, but my budget is limited so I purchased the unit (it " looks " new and has 28 hours of use) and have it 99% installed. One question - the manual says to " connect the shielded wire to Boat Main Ground ". This is not the red positive lead or the black negative lead. It is an additional wire.

What is it's function? The unit powers up and works without it connected. I have no idea where my " main ground " is. Can I just ground it to a metal fitting (I have a steel hull)?

[insalt72]

i have on of these units. To answer your question i forget now what i did and i can't check for you because im working away atm. I think i did nothing, connected it to nothing. I think it's like a earth strap... won't stop it from working.
The jrc 1000 has a wide rad dome beam 32 degrees if i remember rightly, so it picks up close targets well enough.As for ships in the night they stand out like..ships in the day, no worries. Set your guard Zone on 15min and let it scan for 2 minutes at a time.. uses about 30watts @12v and bugger all in the standby mode..8watts i think..
You won't have any worries with it and you just saved yourself a heap of dollars, WE don't all NEED the latest greatest gear on the market... enjoy.

[Uncle Buck]

Thanks insalt. That is the same advice I got from a local shop so I am leaving it disconnected. I haven't been off the dock yet since I finished the install but the unit appears to work well, and I've saved myself a lot of $. I agree - the new toys are nice but not necessary, and I prefer to spend more time sailing than working to pay for them!

Cheers,

Evan

[exterra]

We just purchased a used JRC 1000 as well. I went searching for, and finally found, a place that still has the manual to download for free! Thought I would post the link. the JRC is hiding down towards the bottom and is the Radar 1000.

TMQ International

[Droo]

The link to the manual was good, but it still doesn't answer my query which is:- During the 90 second countdown a line on the screen labelled "hours" appears which appears to be counting down my life. Is this magnetron hours left, and if so, what happens when it reaches zero (currently 4). I've had it from new and it's become an old friend I'd hate to lose.

[Islander]

We have the 1500 and find it a great help at night on long passages. As was said previously, set it on guard mode to come on every 15 minutes and it's like having extra eyes on a night watch. It is great on close-in stuff too, to find a "hole" in a busy anchorage when all you can see is too many boats too close together.

Cheers

[phorvati]

I have that unit. bought it used for 500$ in 2004. Works ok. I had a lot of tweaking to do. Touch up antenna cable connector solder joints on the main board, replace signal cable, splice connection at the mast base, re-attach the display connector to the antenna cable (that one was a bitch)... but i like the unit.
Here are some helpful support files I used to get rid of some firmware issues.

[MacG]

I am offered a working JRC 1000. I know little about radars in general, although I know how to read them.
The specific question for me is 1) do they have a "limited" lifetime, i.e. are there certain parts that will stop working after a number of hours and 2) what is a reasonable price for a decent working unit. The guy offering the JRC asks 850 Euro (around 1100 US$).

[phorvati]

Originally Posted by MacG

The guy offering the JRC asks 850 Euro (around 1100 US$).

Wow that's too much at least for US market. look on ebay you can get them for a lot cheaper.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by MacG

I am offered a working JRC 1000. I know little about radars in general, although I know how to read them.
The specific question for me is 1) do they have a "limited" lifetime, i.e. are there certain parts that will stop working after a number of hours and 2) what is a reasonable price for a decent working unit. The guy offering the JRC asks 850 Euro (around 1100 US$).

YEs, the magnetron has a limited lifetime (operating hours). The lengthof the lifetime varies between specific designs, but may be defined in the manual. Should be on the order of a thousand hours or more. Some radars have a function that keeps track of transmit hours... don't know about the JRC.

And that price does seem high for a used one.

Cheers,


Jim

[susswein]

I was just given a JRC 1000 radar unit. It's complete with everything EXCEPT the power cord. The problem is that the power cord plug on the back of the unit is an 8 pin connector (since the power cord also contains leads to hook up an external GPS and compass), and I have no idea which pins correspond to 12V and ground. The manual is no help, since it only shows connections based on the color coding of the wires in the power cable, no the connector itself.

Can anyone with one of these units take a look at the power cord and tell me which connector pins the red and black wires go to?

[crazyoldboatguy]

I have such a unit but it is 270 miles away from me. I would try the interweb and look under Japanese Radio Corporation and see if they have schematics. Or find a tech ph # and call them.

[varkpilot]

Originally Posted by Uncle Buck

Thanks for the advice - certainly I agree that newer technology is superior, but my budget is limited so I purchased the unit (it " looks " new and has 28 hours of use) and have it 99% installed. One question - the manual says to " connect the shielded wire to Boat Main Ground ". This is not the red positive lead or the black negative lead. It is an additional wire.

What is it's function? The unit powers up and works without it connected. I have no idea where my " main ground " is. Can I just ground it to a metal fitting (I have a steel hull)?

A question, if I may. Is it the wire inside the shield, or is it the shield itself they want grounded. I would suspect the latter, with the wire carrying a signal. By grounding the shield to your steel boat, you might eliminate false signals induced from other points on your boat, such as the RF energy from your VHF or other transmitting devices you may have. Just a thought. BTW, I used to have an uncle named Buck.