Furuno wireless radar

[JustCruisin]

So my boat is de-masted for repairs to the old wood mast and I decided to scrap the old crt Furuno radar from 1987. I don't really need radar that much but want to have something that I can use anywhere on the boat without having to run wiring for two units so I thought this wireless unit might be good for me. I have a good AIS and that is nice to have on the river. So I read through the posts about this unit but not much recent. Can anyone give reason not to buy and use this radar? I would buy a dedicated I pad just for this, chargers all over the boat. Thoughts? Thanks...

 

[Comodave]

I have no experience with the Furuno wireless radar but we just installed a Raymarine one. Have not tried it yet since the boat is still in the barn, but it was really nice not having to run a big cable up through the arch. We took off an open array Garmin and I tried for hours to get the Garmin cable out of the arch and finally cut it. No telling if I would have had an issue getting a new cable up through the arch instead of just the power wires.

 

[4arch]

I assume we’re talking about the Furuno DRS4W. I don’t have one but have strongly considered it. It has been on the market since 2014 so I’m not sure what the future support lifespan is for an 8 year old marine electronic device. It is analog rather than digital solid state so it’s kind of an obsolete technology. It lacks MARPA and a few other features that the newer and more expensive models have and that many consider essential. All that said, for about $850 plus the cost of an iPad (maybe $200-300 as almost any used iPad that still gets iOS updates will do), it’s impossible to beat that price to get a color radar display with chart overlay on a 10+ inch screen. The next cheapest radar solutions with chart overlay are easily into the $2-2.5K range. So if you understand and accept its limitations, the Furuno wireless can be a good solution for someone looking for an inexpensive radar solution.

 

[syjos]

I've sold a number of DRS4W. I am a dealer.

$850 for a 4 kw radar is an outstanding deal.

You do need to run a power cable to the dome.

Furuno support legacy products for a very long time. I've taken 20 to 30 year old radars to them for service with good results. Some parts for 20+ year electronics are getting scarce but more common items are available. I took 3 non working 1830 radars to them and they were able to take parts out of one unit and got two radars operational so that they could be sold. Not bad for 30 year old equipment.

 

[JustCruisin]

I decided to buy the Furuno First Watch. Might be a month before I get the mast done but will give my impressions when I get it up and running. Planning on getting a 10 inch I pad as a dedicated display. The cost of other radars and two mfd's for the limited use it will see on my boat made this decision easy. Now I have a 1731 mark 3 to find a home for. Any market for these out there?

 

[Moonfish]

I chime in regularly on this question. We've had the Furuno Wireless radar for four-plus years and it works great. Love being able to carry my iphone (or the ipad) up to the flybridge and have radar with me. While we're not a big outfit that can sell them for under $900, we do have them for $995 with the coupon code WIRELESS100 - Furuno 1st Watch Wireless Radar

 

[GoneFarrell]

JustC,
I use the radar you are considering, happy with it. Used it last season to dodge fishing and ferry boats in the fog.

I tied the power cable into the old radars 12v hot and ground at the mast base to avoid having to route new long cable and tear into the cabin ceiling.

 

[Fish53]

I've had a Furuno DRS4W on my boat for the last two years however I don't use it with a phone, I have a Furuno GP1971F plotter I run it on. So far it's worked flawlessly and was easy to install. It is a bit difficult to tune primarily because I've used CRT for years and I'm comfortable with knobs and have trouble with the GP1971F's touchscreen.

 

[Bmarler]

I assume we’re talking about the Furuno DRS4W. I don’t have one but have strongly considered it. It has been on the market since 2014 so I’m not sure what the future support lifespan is for an 8 year old marine electronic device. It is analog rather than digital solid state so it’s kind of an obsolete technology. It lacks MARPA and a few other features that the newer and more expensive models have and that many consider essential. All that said, for about $850 plus the cost of an iPad (maybe $200-300 as almost any used iPad that still gets iOS updates will do), it’s impossible to beat that price to get a color radar display with chart overlay on a 10+ inch screen. The next cheapest radar solutions with chart overlay are easily into the $2-2.5K range. So if you understand and accept its limitations, the Furuno wireless can be a good solution for someone looking for an inexpensive radar solution.

Chart overlay on that? What one, and where does the gps reside? I didn’t see one embedded in the radar, does your iPad have it, or are you using a puck?
I didn’t realize this radar existed, pretty amazing really. I can hardly believe the low amp draw on it too, but I guess most modern radar has low draw.
I’d have to see what digital has to offer before pulling the trigger though, but radar on the iPad would be amazing.

Sorry, just realized you don’t actually have one. Anyone else?

 

[Moonfish]

Chart overlay on that? What one, and where does the gps reside? I didn’t see one embedded in the radar, does your iPad have it, or are you using a puck?
I didn’t realize this radar existed, pretty amazing really. I can hardly believe the low amp draw on it too, but I guess most modern radar has low draw.
I’d have to see what digital has to offer before pulling the trigger though, but radar on the iPad would be amazing.

Sorry, just realized you don’t actually have one. Anyone else?

The chart program the Furuno DRS4W overlays on is the TimeZero TZ iBoat app, which is free. Of course, the charts themselves cost money... You can also display AIS data on the app. And yes, with our set up both our iPads have built-in GPS.

It's definitely not the fanciest radar out there in terms of bells and whistles, but it's affordable and does exactly what it needs to do for us coastal cruisers.

 

[chriscritchett]

I've had a Furuno DRS4W on my boat for the last two years however I don't use it with a phone, I have a Furuno GP1971F plotter I run it on. So far it's worked flawlessly and was easy to install. It is a bit difficult to tune primarily because I've used CRT for years and I'm comfortable with knobs and have trouble with the GP1971F's touchscreen.

Thanks for this! I put 2 GP1971F units in my boat at the upper and lower helms a few months ago, and intend to add the DRS4W as soon as I replace my mast. Happy to hear it’s a satisfying combination.

I’d love to hear more about your tuning experience, I’m sure you have more radar chops than I do.

 

[Fish53]

For the price and ease of install it's a good deal, especially on a boat as small as mine. I think I have less than 2K in my plotter, radar and fishfinder. My issues with adjusting and tuning stem mostly from age and fat fingers, it's just a bit difficult to obtain the precision I get by turning a knob.

 

[UrsusMaritimus]

We have the DRS4W radar on our boat and use it with TZ iBoat. We’ve also set our AIS up to overlay on the iBoat charts. Works great overall for the coastal cruising we do here in BC.

 

[Orest]

I had occasion to see one used on a tv monitor overlaying a chart. ...
sweet . Leaves the fish finder full screen and a large safe navigation monitor that would not be affordable in that size on a fish finder

 

[Boatcrazy]

following.....our current Furuno 1621 (1994??) still works, but lacks any modern features-it's due for replacement!

 

[JustCruisin]

So I am buying a refurbished I pad 7 wifi and lte for 165 which will put my total cost at under 1100. I should have my mast done this week so hope to be able to try it out soon!

 

[rpackard]

Furuno wifi radar

I installed the Furuno wireless radar on my boat two years ago. I greatly regret the purchase. Aside from not having the most basic function of an electronic bearing line, the unit cannot detect any normal size vessel if it is over 3/4 miles away. It cannot even see 4000 foot tall mountains past 4 or 5 miles. This was replacing 25 year old Furuno that could see vessels several miles away.

I could not believe the lack of sensitivity so I sent the unit back to Furuno for testing. They said it meets specs.

It is likely I will junk it next year and purchase a better radar. To not see 30 to 50ft-long vessels a couple of miles away, when they claim a "16mile range" is just unacceptable. By the time it detects a fast approaching fishing skiff it would be really too late to avoid a collision.

The idea of the wifi concept is excellent. Why they didn't use this on a decent radar is beyond me. An EBL is just software after all.

Tech support tried to suggest reasons for the poor onboard performance. But none of the reasons were relevant. The unit sits in the same spot as the old unit and there is nothing interfering with the beam.

In fairness, I could begin to detect a large oil tanker 1.5miles away. But no smaller boats.

The Raymarine wireless radar is a different kind of beast altogether. It is not wireless to anything but an MFD. They are selling the latter. If it worked with iPads I would buy it immediately because I appreciate not having to deal with a big fat cable.

 

[Fish53]

I installed the Furuno wireless radar on my boat two years ago. I greatly regret the purchase. Aside from not having the most basic function of an electronic bearing line, the unit cannot detect any normal size vessel if it is over 3/4 miles away. It cannot even see 4000 foot tall mountains past 4 or 5 miles. This was replacing 25 year old Furuno that could see vessels several miles away.

I could not believe the lack of sensitivity so I sent the unit back to Furuno for testing. They said it meets specs.

It is likely I will junk it next year and purchase a better radar. To not see 30 to 50ft-long vessels a couple of miles away, when they claim a "16mile range" is just unacceptable. By the time it detects a fast approaching fishing skiff it would be really too late to avoid a collision.

The idea of the wifi concept is excellent. Why they didn't use this on a decent radar is beyond me. An EBL is just software after all.

Tech support tried to suggest reasons for the poor onboard performance. But none of the reasons were relevant. The unit sits in the same spot as the old unit and there is nothing interfering with the beam.

In fairness, I could begin to detect a large oil tanker 1.5miles away. But no smaller boats.

The Raymarine wireless radar is a different kind of beast altogether. It is not wireless to anything but an MFD. They are selling the latter. If it worked with iPads I would buy it immediately because I appreciate not having to deal with a big fat cable.

I'm sorry you're having such a disappointing experience with your Furuno radar. All I can say is mine has experienced none of the difficulties you mentioned, except the lack of a true EBL. It does have a cursor which provides almost the same function by displaying range and bearing to a target. I have had no problem picking up targets at reasonable ranges, even kayakers at over half a mile and flocks of birds farther.

 

[Moonfish]

I installed the Furuno wireless radar on my boat two years ago. I greatly regret the purchase. Aside from not having the most basic function of an electronic bearing line, the unit cannot detect any normal size vessel if it is over 3/4 miles away. It cannot even see 4000 foot tall mountains past 4 or 5 miles. This was replacing 25 year old Furuno that could see vessels several miles away.

I could not believe the lack of sensitivity so I sent the unit back to Furuno for testing. They said it meets specs.

It is likely I will junk it next year and purchase a better radar. To not see 30 to 50ft-long vessels a couple of miles away, when they claim a "16mile range" is just unacceptable. By the time it detects a fast approaching fishing skiff it would be really too late to avoid a collision.

The idea of the wifi concept is excellent. Why they didn't use this on a decent radar is beyond me. An EBL is just software after all.

Tech support tried to suggest reasons for the poor onboard performance. But none of the reasons were relevant. The unit sits in the same spot as the old unit and there is nothing interfering with the beam.

In fairness, I could begin to detect a large oil tanker 1.5miles away. But no smaller boats.

The Raymarine wireless radar is a different kind of beast altogether. It is not wireless to anything but an MFD. They are selling the latter. If it worked with iPads I would buy it immediately because I appreciate not having to deal with a big fat cable.

True, the Furuno wireless radar doesn't have all the bells and whistles other systems have, but our DRS4W works absolutely fine. Granted, cruising the Salish Sea means we typically use ranges from .5 mile to 3 miles, but we do see navigation buoys, small fishing boats, and even exposed rocks/reefs. In fog and at night (and a few times in both) it has performed great.

 

[Fish53]

By the way rpackard if you want to "junk" your Furuno radar I would be glad to cover the shipping to have you send it to me. Thanks.