Marine Radar on a Road Vehicle

[sandy daugherty]

I've seen cars on bridges and even a helicopter on marine radar. The problem is the rotation rate is too slow for objects moving as fast as cars. However, there will be information on the screen, but it will not be obvious what you are looking at without training. It will NOT look like thermal imaging or night vision scopes
Do your homework on aperture, tuning and such. A compass input is necessary if you want to describe or plot what will otherwise be dependant on the vehicle heading.

[speciald@ocens.]

Strange you should ask. We have lived on the boat for seven years but still have a car for ground trips. When driving and see what appears to be an approaching storm, we both look at our navigation system screen for a radar image of the storm. Radar in a car would be limited by elevation but storm chasers in the Plaines use readar to follow storms.

[FluidicDigital]

This has given me a lot to think about. I appreciate all the replies. You are all very wise. I am going to give whatever non-Japanese radar manufacture a call and see what they say. If it's illegal, and it sure sounds like it is, then I may be moving on to a lidar based system.

FD

[daddle]

It's not illegal to use a radar on land, you just need the proper license. Or mount the radar to a small boat and the boat to the roof rack....

[Uncle Bob]

It's not illegal to use a radar on land, you just need the proper license. Or mount the radar to a small boat and the boat to the roof rack....

Love it. Lateral thinking is such an under used resource.

[lobster_magnet]

and it didn't work so well. To build this robotic car the thingamabob on top is a laser finder, creating a full 360 deg "picture" many times a second. I think it looks like Ecto-1!

[fairbank56]

Originally Posted by daddle

Or mount the radar to a small boat and the boat to the roof rack....

That won't work either. They gotcha with rule 80.89e Stations must not transmit while on board vessels located on land unless authorized under a public coast station license.

The main issue here is the license and the fact that marine radar is designed using different technical standards, also defined under part 80 rules, than radar used on land.

Eric

[sabray]

Years past I was working on a charter boat that was hauled on a railway. The police set up a speed trap directly accross from the boat. For evening amusement we would sit on deck and when we saw a car approach flip on the radar. Then watch the officer shake and smack his radar gun. Once the car passed we'd go to stand by. Things you can do on a dry island at night.