Looking for a good analysis of the different Radar technologies

[GILow]

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

l...



If I were replacing it today I would go with the Halo20+ for the doppler even though we rarely ply congested waters. [I will soon have a chance for hands-on use with a boat buddy who is waiting for his Halo20+ order to ship.]



Best wishes sorting out what is best for you.



Cheers! Bill

Thank you Bill, your comments really help with the process.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

l...



Seems to be something HALO20+ has that HALO20 doesn't.

Yes, that and another $500 on the price tag.

But it does appear that this is another $500 worth spending.

[iabmatos]

You may find this report useful:

https://ccga-pacific.org/files/libra...t_May_2021.pdf

Cheers

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by GILow

Yes, that and another $500 on the price tag.

But it does appear that this is another $500 worth spending.

You aren't planning on spending it right away are you?

Did I ever tell you about a workmate who bought a Swanson 42 hull and deck and was fitting it out in a paddock somewhere in NSW?

He bought a transit satnav.

The boat finally splashed in the mid 1990s - the SatNav was still in its box in his shed. Probably still in his shed today.

I keep thinking about a radar upgrade but the Anritsu RF717A that I bought in about 2000 still has only about 50 hours on it.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by iabmatos

You may find this report useful:

https://ccga-pacific.org/files/libra...t_May_2021.pdf

Cheers

Excellent! Thank you. Seriously good stuff.

At first I felt it might not be super relevant, but then I realised all that stuff about small boats is great as it mimicks navigating mooring fields.

[rosatte]

We have the B&G 4g radar a 12 year old could read this radar easy to read clear targets well worth the investment

[GILow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

You aren't planning on spending it right away are you?



Did I ever tell you about a workmate who bought a Swanson 42 hull and deck and was fitting it out in a paddock somewhere in NSW?



He bought a transit satnav.



The boat finally splashed in the mid 1990s - the SatNav was still in its box in his shed. Probably still in his shed today.



I keep thinking about a radar upgrade but the Anritsu RF717A that I bought in about 2000 still has only about 50 hours on it.

Yeah, fair point.

No, purchasing is at least six.months away. Maybe as much as 12 months.

Total boat project is no longer than 24 months and I want to be doing some serious sea trials by the half way point. I will need the wind/depth instruments for that, but not the radar or plotter. However, to choose the instruments I would like to be clear on what I will be choosing for the plotter and radar.

Chicken, meet egg.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by rosatte

We have the B&G 4g radar a 12 year old could read this radar easy to read clear targets well worth the investment

12 year old... hmm... I'm nearly there.

Which model please?

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by GILow

Thanks Bill, another happy Halo20+ user.

Also happy to hear you use it with OpenCPN. That’s something I suspect I’ll end up trying one day.

Matt,
Since you are starting the remake of your new to you boat, there no time like the present to do the switch. Really wasn't too hard of a learning process to change over and was quite refreshing to have state of the art software that didn't make you buy new models to keep up with future changes.
Even though this article is "old" and some additional electronics have been added, the basic ideas are there. Food for thought. https://phoenixketch.blogspot.com/20...-computer.html

Just a suggestion to save your wallet a bit, since it sounds like your plate is full of things to upgrade already.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Matt,
Since you are starting the remake of your new to you boat, there no time like the present to do the switch. Really wasn't too hard of a learning process to change over and was quite refreshing to have state of the art software that didn't make you buy new models to keep up with future changes.
Even though this article is "old" and some additional electronics have been added, the basic ideas are there. Food for thought. https://phoenixketch.blogspot.com/20...-computer.html

Just a suggestion to save your wallet a bit, since it sounds like your plate is full of things to upgrade already.

Bill, you make a very good point and I’ve given OpenCPN a lot of thought in the past.

It is a clever system, but I spent too many years working on computers to want to have that sort of system in my daily life.

It feels a lot like how the various Linux distributions were to me over the last 30 years. I could get Linux to do things and solve problems that the mainstream OS’s didn’t have a hope of achieving, but it was always a bit of a headache to have a Linux variant in the solution path because you knew it was another maintenance point, and one that usually required skills the majority of my staff did not possess. (Leaving me to do the work.)

I am over my days of tinkering with computers and want a nice simple black-box solution. People who know what I used to do for a living assume I must have a boat full of computers but the reality is I have a very ancient and pretty busted IPad and a micro-pc bolted to the back of the TV for emergencies.

No more computers for me.

Matt

[Jim Cate]

Matt, have a word with Max... he has been using OCPN/radar for some time now and is quite happy with it.

Jim

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Matt, have a word with Max... he has been using OCPN/radar for some time now and is quite happy with it.

Jim

Yes, he's a great advocate.

But the thought of even touching a computer keyboard makes me ill these days.

Don't get me wrong, I played around with it and I thought it was very, very good. Twenty years ago I would have used it for sure. I probably would have offered to contribute to the code base too.

But no more computers for me. Certainly not on a boat.

(The few custom picaxe projects for refrigeration and climate control were enough for me.)

[Bruce K]

When choosing electronics, I always recommend going to where your local professional fishing fleet berth, and look at what they use. Their criteria is reliability and ease of use above "things that go ding ding, and pretty lights that flash"
.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

When choosing electronics, I always recommend going to where your local professional fishing fleet berth, and look at what they use. Their criteria is reliability and ease of use above "things that go ding ding, and pretty lights that flash"

.

True, but I’m looking for wind, not fish.

Most of what I’ve seen on the local fishing fleet is practically valve driven too. Robust for sure.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

When choosing electronics, I always recommend going to where your local professional fishing fleet berth, and look at what they use. Their criteria is reliability and ease of use above "things that go ding ding, and pretty lights that flash"

.

No, bad idea. Most trawler men simply want an easy life so they tend to base their decisions on the local support setup. also they will spend more to have it professionally maintained. Hence you tend to see brands that reflect that . In some places it’s all koden , others it’s Furuno etc

But if you look at the price sensitive inshore fleets you’ll see lots of Raymarine et.

Fishermen fish not work electronics , leisure sailors are in it for fun. Hence our boats reflect our interests. If you like bells and whistles then get them.

Don’t fall into the trap that commercial equipment is better. It’s usually simply that’s there’s a better support system maintaining it.