Running two radars on one boat

[7tiger7]

OK - another question.

The MT43 I just purchased has a Raytheon radar dome, hooked up to a Raymarine RL70C plotter/radar on the flybridge, and an older Raymarine CRT display in the lower helm.

I plan to install a Raymarine C80 plotter in the lower helm, and an 18" radome, to run dual radar.

The current radome is installed on the radar arch, offset to stbd.* I was planning on installing the new radome offset to port - but I spoke to a Raymarine rep at the boatshow this weekend, and he noted that if running 2 scanners, they need to be vertically offset by 3 feet. So I'm thinking to install the new radome on the small mast which is used to secure the outriggers when vertical (I just so happen to have a mast mount for this radome, off my old sailboat). Just not sure the mast will give me 3 feet of vertical seperation - so I may have to exend the mast somehow.
(see picture)

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/...ader 43/01a-Exterior-GreatSaleCay-Bahamas.jpg

Any thoughts or advice on this? Anyone run 2 radars?

 

[skipperdude]

Why would you need to run two radar's at the same time?

SD

 

[Avista]

One for navigating, one for targeting? That's how the Navy does it (well, several for targeting). Will you be using IR or HS missiles?


hehe... Actually I crewed on a SF with two Radars, but it only had them because the owner kept the old one for back up when he upgraded and thought they 'looked cool'. We never turned on the older one that I remember. I do know that many times larger ships use two arrays, one for transmitting and one for receiving.

 

[Per]

yes, i have two radars, same as your setup, one on each helm.

mine are separated vertically by only perhaps 12-24 inches.

not sure, but dont think i have ever run them both simultaneously but in any case never had any problems.

 

[sunchaser]

I like the idea of two units (stacked ), one on and one off, therefore you don't get caught up in location and you reduce your power draw. My Raymarine 4' open array quit on me(connected to RL70Cs) last summer.* I switched to Furuno at that time.

If I wanted redundancy though I'd seriously consider Broadband and not another radar. Broadband is much cheaper, less power draw, safer and has superior targeting up to 3 - 4 miles. 99% of what I am worried about is less than 4 miles so the 25+ mile range of my Furuno is just hype for us slow trawler owners.*

Offsetting your scanner*from CL is not the best setup, according to the book anyway.

 

[Rob]

I really like the idea of having two radars. It's always good to have a backup. If I had two radars and the conditions were poor I would run one @ about 3/4 mile range and the second one a couple of miles out. The number one radar would be set to the same scale as my plotter. We run with the radar on at all times and very comfortable with the operation as well as comfortable with what the instrument tells us. Learning to run the radar in the big storm is not good! I've talked to many boaters about radar operation and am always amazed that they don't run the radar untill there's adverse conditions.

Don't count on your radar when in Icy Conditions, the radar might show ice that has rock in or on it. But it will not show ice that is low in the water. Remember that there is ten times as much ice below the water as you see above the surface.

Rob Hays
"Lady Anne" Willard 40 PH
La Conner, WA/Girdwood, AK

 

[markpierce]

Rob wrote:

Don't count on your radar when in Icy Conditions, the radar might show ice that has rock in or on it.

That's not a rock.* It's a seal.

*Room for lots of radars on this mast, but one will serve now.

 

[sunchaser]

Rob

Furuno's NN3 and I presume its digital competition can run two different radar scales side by side on the same screen. It is amazing what the NN3 can do.

-- Edited by sunchaser on Monday 28th of February 2011 02:51:15 PM

 

[Tom.B]

Make sure you wrap yourself head-to-toe in aluminum foil and stand about 100 yard away to make sure you can get them calibrated together.