Radar from WWII...

[toocoys]

At least it seems that way.

Finally figured out how to turn the damn thing on, now I just need to know how to use it.

What do I really need radar for anyway? I’ve never understood its purpose on boats this size in local waters.

 

[dhays]

I use radar primarily to help navigate in poor visibility conditions. It helps you know where you are and help you avoid running into stuff.

 

[toocoys]

I use radar primarily to help navigate in poor visibility conditions. It helps you know where you are and help you avoid running into stuff.

Only when you know how to use it! Lol

I have no idea where to start. I’m hoping to find a manual
Somewhere on the boat or on google.

 

[dhmeissner]

It comes in handy in Fogust. Nice to know where the tankers and ferries are.

 

[boomerang]

On your particular radar, the first thing you need to do is turn the rain control fully ccw to off.
Do the same with the sea clutter and gain knobs
Put the the tune knob at the 12 o'clock position
set the range to 6 miles
Turn the Gain knob up until you get a few "sparkles" on the screen. Not enough gain & its all black. Too much and it's all green
Turn the tune knob until the targets are the biggest-plus theres a bar graph-fill the most boxes on the graph by slowly adjusting the knob
After thats done, the gain & tuning are set. Now you can change ranges to your needs. Most use 1/2 -1 mile range while navigating in close waters.
Clean the picture up with the sea clutter knob. Too much & the targets go away. Not enough & theres too much clutter everywhere.
There you have it! That'll get you started until you become familiar with the operation of a radar.
Also, push and hold the EBL & VRM (Variable range marker & electronic bearing line)buttons to get them off of the screen. They're used mostly for plotting but are just cluttering your screen now. Leave the rain control off unless you're in the rain.

 

[twistedtree]

"The Radar Book" by Kevin Monahan is a real good start for radar basics, and more advanced techniques.

 

[Portage_Bay]

boomerang gave you a very concise description of the basic operation. Better than any manual will give you.

As to what radar is good for. It can with some training and experience perform both navigation (you have to plot your position on a chart) and collision avoidance without GPS or AIS. Add in GPS and or AIS electronic charts and you've got all the info you need.

This might be a good place to start your familiarization with radar. MBM's practical boating: using radar (part 1) I haven't watched the whole thing so I can't really vouch for how good it might be.

It's a very valuable tool. Practice in clear weather so you are comfortable with it in fog, at night etc.

 

[psneeld]

The old adage is.....

Get caught in the fog on a busy waterway some day and you will be the first in line at the marine electronics store tthe next day to get a RADAR.

Learning to use it involves someone showing you the basics then a LOT of practice...every time you go out....

Can be done by reading, videos...but after an hour of dial learning and getting help IDing stuff on the scope.....you are on your way with practice.

 

[johnma]

If you have radar on board you are required by the Coast Guard to have it running. Also the best time to learn how to use it is when you don't need it. I run it all the time just to keep sharp looking at buoys and also at any vessels coming from behind.
John

 

[koliver]

My boat came to me with an older Furuno Radar. When it wore out (I Had it on a lot) I replaced it with a JRC that presently has 600+ hrs on it. I haven't been caught out in fog for a few years, night boating is infrequent. I just have it on whenever I am going across the Gulf or am in a busy waterway and steering from the Wheelhouse. If I am up top, I don't need it, as I am up where I can see everything.

 

[toocoys]

Add in GPS and or AIS electronic charts and you've got all the info you need.

This new Garmin 74cv was just installed in April. I plan to figure out how to integrate AIS with a new VHF radio, if that’s possible.

ETA...just glanced at the manual. Looks like it supports AIS and DSC.

 

[toocoys]

The old adage is.....

Get caught in the fog on a busy waterway some day and you will be the first in line at the marine electronics store tthe next day to get a RADAR.

Learning to use it involves someone showing you the basics then a LOT of practice...every time you go out....

Can be done by reading, videos...but after an hour of dial learning and getting help IDing stuff on the scope.....you are on your way with practice.

Is this radar even viable? I mean can it accurately be used because of its age?

 

[AlaskaProf]

Is this radar even viable? I mean can it accurately be used because of its age?

Yes.

 

[Lou_tribal]

My boat came to me with an older Furuno Radar. When it wore out (I Had it on a lot) I replaced it with a JRC that presently has 600+ hrs on it. I haven't been caught out in fog for a few years, night boating is infrequent. I just have it on whenever I am going across the Gulf or am in a busy waterway and steering from the Wheelhouse. If I am up top, I don't need it, as I am up where I can see everything.

+1 I also have a JRC that came with the boat, in 3 years I used it twice, once in fog once during a storm while at the lower helm. Where I am most of boat have one, and most of them never used it at all. On clear weather from the flying bridge it has no added value.

L

 

[Sabre602]

Is this radar even viable? I mean can it accurately be used because of its age?

Of course. As long as you can see targets out there it's working, and from there it's just a matter of learning how to adjust the device and to interpret the images.

Newer ones add pretty colors, but yours is fully functional for its intended purpose of aiding safe navigation.

Doing a five-hour passage in heavy smoke at night recently with fishing boats, tugs and a few large ships in close proximity would have been ridiculously unsafe without radar. Mine's an old Raytheon, not much different from yours.

 

[toocoys]

On clear weather from the flying bridge it has no added value.

L

All I have is a fly bridge, and all we ever boat in is clear weather.

That could change now that we have an actual boat capable of cruising, but nonetheless.

I don’t foresee us ever going into blue water, but I suppose it would be good to have in the ICW next year when we go to Port Arkansas or Padre Island.

 

[Lou_tribal]

All I have is a fly bridge, and all we ever boat in is clear weather.

That could change now that we have an actual boat capable of cruising, but nonetheless.

I don’t foresee us ever going into blue water, but I suppose it would be good to have in the ICW next year when we go to Port Arkansas or Padre Island.

Well if weather is clear and you are out to look around, either you keep your eyes on the horizon or you keep your eyes on the screen. I prefer the horizon as you see other boats as well as everything else (like floating logs where I am cruising).

L

 

[dhmeissner]

If you have radar on board you are required by the Coast Guard to have it running. Also the best time to learn how to use it is when you don't need it. I run it all the time just to keep sharp looking at buoys and also at any vessels coming from behind.
John

Really?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. t. Is it viable? Of course. I am in the "leave it on" crowd. It's quite interesting being able to spot "something" on radar and be able to look out the door/window in good weather and actually see the "something". Great practice when "something" is showing up on the screen and you can't actually see it but would like to avoid it.



In MY case that something was a channel marker the size of a Volkswagen bus with a burnt out marker light. O dark thirty on a REALLY dark night about 6 miles off shore from Georgia/South Carolina (the low country) heading north at reduced speed (4 knots). Couldn't see diddly-squat. NO lights on shore. No moon/stars (overcast). GPS, compass, radar. That little blip just kept getting closer, sight unseen. A shot with the spotlight identified it.



I've also used radar to track rain squalls. A very slight course alteration or speed adjustment can keep you dry.


The final advantage IF your unit is in fact WWII vintage is Smores. 5 seconds in front of the antenna and walla!

 

[Nomad Willy]

For practice in Tongas Narrows Iusta track floatplanes. Mooving fast they stick out.

 

[toocoys]

The final advantage IF your unit is in fact WWII vintage is Smores. 5 seconds in front of the antenna and walla!

Speaking of s’mores, how dangerous is the spinning radar? The radar arch is right in line with my head when it’s spinning.

 

[MurrayM]

On your particular radar, the first thing you need to do is turn the rain control fully ccw to off.
Do the same with the sea clutter and gain knobs
Put the the tune knob at the 12 o'clock position
set the range to 6 miles
Turn the Gain knob up until you get a few "sparkles" on the screen. Not enough gain & its all black. Too much and it's all green
Turn the tune knob until the targets are the biggest-plus theres a bar graph-fill the most boxes on the graph by slowly adjusting the knob
After thats done, the gain & tuning are set. Now you can change ranges to your needs. Most use 1/2 -1 mile range while navigating in close waters.
Clean the picture up with the sea clutter knob. Too much & the targets go away. Not enough & theres too much clutter everywhere.
There you have it! That'll get you started until you become familiar with the operation of a radar.
Also, push and hold the EBL & VRM (Variable range marker & electronic bearing line)buttons to get them off of the screen. They're used mostly for plotting but are just cluttering your screen now. Leave the rain control off unless you're in the rain.

Thanks. We have a 1980’s radar that’s always been a bit of a mystery to me.

 

[markpierce]

Think its good to run radar even in sunny and clear conditions to experience the read out. One might notice many hazards and vessels don't show up or are very tiny blips easily unnoticed. ... Radar reflectors on overhead power lines are confusing since they disappear when closely approached.

 

[psneeld]

If you have radar on board you are required by the Coast Guard to have it running.v Also the best time to learn how to use it is when you don't need it. I run it all the time just to keep sharp looking at buoys and also at any vessels coming from behind.
John

That debate goes round and round enough that the USCG has put it out as a FAQ on the NAVCEN website specifically stating "prevailing conditions" as an important deciding factor.

If they bother to use the words prevailing conditions....the logical conclusion is that it doesnt have to be on or monitored at all times.

 

[psneeld]

Speaking of s’mores, how dangerous is the spinning radar? The radar arch is right in line with my head when it’s spinning.

4kW and less are not dangerous at all for the exposure periods you are talking about....

Straight from a Furuno factory techs mouth at my annual training seminar.

As to never using it or going out in reduced visibility..... I wish I had a dollar for every time I said it would get foggy soon and all my friends thought I was crazy.....or the times I had to take the assistance towboat out and lead radarless boats in through the inlet.

If you never get caught in low vis, nope, probably don't need it. But the more you boat, the better the chance yo will unless you are a whiz at predicting fog.

 

[caltexflanc]

Another vote for The Radar Book.

If you don't have it on and play with it when it's a clear day, you will have no idea how to use it and interpret what it is showing when you need it. It is also excellent for giving you the distance to objects and potential collision courses. For those without a 360 degree view from the helm, it acts as a rear view mirror of sorts. Lastly, if you are in thunder storm territory, it is an extremely valuable tool for tracking those.

 

[Pack Mule]

I finally got mine reinstalled and working this year. It looks to be similar vintage as yours. I haven’t a clue how to adjust it. Thanks for posting. I’m going to play with it this weekend.

 

[Cruzer]

This new Garmin 74cv was just installed in April. I plan to figure out how to integrate AIS with a new VHF radio, if that’s possible.

ETA...just glanced at the manual. Looks like it supports AIS and DSC.

You can integrate AIS with your 74cv relatively simply with the addition of a Garmin AIS 600 or 800 transceiver. You may be put off by the fact that the AIS black box costs more than your chartplotter but I am of the school that if you're going to add AIS, install a transceiver, not simply a receiver. It is wonderful being able to easily identify AIS targets which obviously helps in situational awareness/collision avoidance because you can see and more easily communicate with them, but being seen is certainly of equal importance. Showing up on another boat's radar obviously makes you visible assuming your boat generates a good return on their equipment, but not to the extent or with the amount of information available with AIS.

A receive-only unit can be half the cost of a transceiver but (and not that I want to tell anyone how to spend their money) the difference is "only" a few hundred bucks and in the grand scheme of boating, particularly when safety is involved... (need I finish this sentence?).

Garmin's VHF/AIS combos are a good way to upgrade your VHF and bring AIS on board, but their units are receive-only. Having recently refit with Garmin gear I have not looked beyond Garmin for what your other options may be so I can't speak to that - but for anyone considering adding AIS, please strongly consider a transceiver. I know several boaters who initially installed receive-only to save a few hundred bucks and it wasn't long before they switched out for a transceiver and never looked back.

 

[johnma]

That debate goes round and round enough that the USCG has put it out as a FAQ on the NAVCEN website specifically stating "prevailing conditions" as an important deciding factor.

If they bother to use the words prevailing conditions....the logical conclusion is that it doesnt have to be on or monitored at all times.

I was boarded last year for a safety check on the Delaware River by Coast guard group Philadelphia and received a warning for not having it on. Also, My slip mate, Dan Maxim (recently deceased) was the equivalent of an Admiral in the Coast guard Aux. I know you were both Coast Guard and CG Aux so Dan's name may be familiar to you. He wrote their manual and wrote manuals for the Coast Guard. He went out with me one day and saw I was not running my radar and told me I had to have it running.
John

 

[HopCar]

What is this “Fog” you guys keep talking about?