Radar / Plotter compatibility

[davex]

Hello, i'm in the process of putting together a navigation system for my blue water cruiser.


I have the chance to buy a radar antenna used in really good condition for next to no money ($150) from a friend, however, the antenna is Raymarine and my chartplotter is a BG Vulcan 7. Because he lives about 12 hours away it is a bit of a hassle to try connecting everything to see if it works, so i figured i'd try my luck here.



Does anyone know if there is any reason a Raymarine antenna wouldn't work with a BG main unit?

[Sailmonkey]

Because they’re made by different vendors with different communication protocols.

They won’t work together

[tkeithlu]

Question: Do you really need for them to overlay on your nav screen? There is an argument to be made, and I subscribe to it, that keeping your radar, electronic nav, depth sounder, AIS, etc. separate means that when you lose one you still have the others, while in a single glass cockpit even your monitor failing leaves you blind. Do you have difficulty mentally relating what you see on one to the others? Some people do. Are you so space restricted that you cannot have a nav screen and a radar screen beside each other? Can you mount nav, radar, depth, AIS, and compass in view?

[tkeithlu]

You want to go blue water. That means having a bunch of Plan Bs. I have the luxury of a ten foot wide indoor instrument panel, with a true desk beside it for paper nav. That means all that stuff is separate; with AIS, backup GPS, and autopilot all having nav capability on separate and replaceable antennas. My best compass is actually in my autopilot. None of them are up to OPN for nav, but having GPS coordinates from a handheld alone allows paper nav without any of them, without learning celestial. Lots of sailboats, on the other hand, are damned cramped in the cockpit.

You didn't ask about this, so I'm pontificating, but you might think through how your dream nav relates to a lightning strike or a puff of smoke from your electronics when you are way out there in the blue stuff.

[David M]

I think it is doubtful but I am guessing. Check with both manufacturers on your idea.

[smac999]

no. you need a navico radar

[FlyingScot]

Not all radars work within the same brand due to age.
I can almost guarantee it's not going to work with a different brand, unless you are talking within the same brand family (IE Navico: B&G, Lowrance, Simrad).