What Radar to Get ?

[capt_douglas]

At the Ft. Lauderdale boat show, the dealers usually have a show special and if you're willing to wait until the last day, chances are you can save some money. Look around, get prices, research, and then head back Sunday AM with credit card/check/cash in hand and haggle. You might also inquire about last years model of if they sell refurbished units.

[Jimbo2010]

Thanks for the input.

Here's as far as I got today on the phone.

Sitex mds 8 dome $1100, may get a show special not sure.

I spoke to the head sales guy about analog v broadband digital.

He said they have plus & minus in certain conditions

the broadband will have better clearer short range especially the 100' radius around the boat. but you need to see something long before that to get out of the way. when objects in fog are close they become visable like magic!

Also analog is better at long distance weather

Disadvantage is cost low to mid $2,000 range.

Getting back to the above Sitex dome I can add a colormax chart plotter cp180 for $360 or $1460 complete or cp300 for $300 more.

Furuno is radar only no plotter, black & white screen for 1300-1600.

The Ray hds is about 800 the dome 1550, a lot more.

So far the Sitex is very promissing.



.

[barnakiel]

Furuno 1623 is good and cheap (I think around 1300 total), but no color, nor HD.

Try to find if they are making something color and HD in the same format.

I have used Furuno, Ray and Simrad. Furuno was good, Simrad was best screen, Ray somewhere in between.

Personally I would go for a color, HD, Furuno.

b.

[Jimbo2010]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Furuno 1623 is good and cheap (I think around 1300 total), but no color, nor HD.

Try to find if they are making something color and HD in the same format.

I have used Furuno, Ray and Simrad. Furuno was good, Simrad was best screen, Ray somewhere in between.

Personally I would go for a color, HD, Furuno.

b.

I want radar with a plotter so the 1623 is out, color HD is lot more bucks.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Jimbo2010

I want radar with a plotter so the 1623 is out, color HD is lot more bucks.

If with a plotter then it will be colour anyway.

Raymarine used to make the 70 series that were a plotter and radar in one. They were not very expensive. You can try at one of the dealers to spot a unit that they want to get rid of.

In Europe many new installations seem to be a Garmin combo. Garmin is US, so you might get a good deal on Garmin if you are there.

I like Garmin very much but I have not used their radars yet.

b.

[barnakiel]

At SVB you can get one of these at a good price I think (color plotter and radar):

SVB: SIMRAD - NX40 Navstation ab 118,90 €

b.

[s/v Beth]

I want chart plotter with radar overlay and ship identification. Not too many will do all three. So far I am leaning toward Garmin.

[Jimbo2010]

The sitex and cp300 has ais

[JiffyLube]

I have the Garmin 3210 plotter with GMR41 radome (radar overlay), on a Questus backstay gimbaled mount.

Personally if I had to do it over again, I'd get a stand alone radar and plotter. The radar overlay feature is done as a transparency of the radar over the plotter, and the transparency level can not be adjusted. Targets on radar only are in much more detail than in the overlay mode, and I have witnessed many targets on radar only that could not be seen at all or hardly at all in overlay mode. I told Garmin about this problem and asked if the transparency level could be adjusted for better target recognition, and they said "no" the level can not be adjusted and they had never heard of my observation before...but I replied to them "You have now".

Another reason I would not do the plotter overlay, is because of the software interface you have to go through in making adjustments to the radar. It is much easier and more intuitive to turn a knob or flip a switch, than working your way through a software interface while you're on the move in a boat.

[Jimbo2010]

Isn't the 3210 an older unit?

On a search this unit has a lot of complaints, most prefer the 4000 series.

What I don't like about Garmin is the proprietary mapping software.

THe more I bang this around the Standard Horizon 180 or 300 with the Sitex is getting my interest. Of course when I go to the show I may learn more about the others.

[goboatingnow]

I have currently a Gamrin open array 406 radar and a 3010C , very good great resolution. I have in the past extensively used Raymaine equipement and once or twice Furuno. I have always sailed with SIMRAD gear. This is a European perspective

I could never see what worth the additional price in Furuno equipement, there seems to be a big price difference in Europe for Furuno and as a result it rarely appears in mid range cruisers.

THere tons of Raymarine and their C and E series plottes with their stadard 2 and 4kw dones seem to work fine and are more then adaquate. SIMRAD is good stuff , but again way too expensive for what it is and difficult to get spares or replacments.

For my tuppence, Its Garmin or Ray

Dave

[Camelot]

Hi Jimbo2010,

Based on my experiences, the analogue and the digital radar are two totally different instruments. When are you in need of the radar? It is dark, you need to spot the squelch early, the fog is coming and the other traffic is unpredictable - you need to identify objects and their behaviour. No old radar can compete with the HD radars with MARPA. Clear pictures, a lot of reliable automation, and extreme precise object drawing and separation are advantages of the HD radar. My boat is equipped with Raymarine, but I have met a lot of sailors that prefer Furuno. This could easily be the same matter as the PC versus Mac

Conclusion: HD with MARPA. Safety and control hand in hand!

Fair winds,
Gunnar

[goboatingnow]

Conclusion: HD with MARPA.

if you can afford it of course HD it is, but small boat ARPA is very problematic, without very steady heading info ( preferably from a satellite compass) and combined with poor processing power, small boat APRA can give very misleading results. On a recent voyage I could compare the MARPA calulations ( Raymarine C90W) with the AIS info on targets, often the MARPA vectors were way out.

I find I rarely use MARPA on a boat thats doesnt have a fast response , rock solid heading feed.

Dave

[rebel heart]

I have a furono that I treat like crap and it keeps working.

[Jimbo2010]

Ha....until it don't