ARPA lock on airplane

Was playing with my recently installed radar and noticed it was picking up planes taking off from FLL (airport is right next to our Marina ) so I decided to try and get a lock with ARPA and was successful. I thought this was pretty cool so I figured I'd share.
http://youtu.be/biwejrKHzBw

Oliver, how do you know it wasn't one of those new 200 knot freighters?
Actually that's pretty cool.

HopCar said:

Oliver, how do you know it wasn't one of those new 200 knot freighters?
Actually that's pretty cool.

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Tommorow I'll post a pic with overlay on, you can see the cranes and also the huge container stacks in the port.

I've seen planes on my radar too. Last time I looked it was during the G20 meeting here a few weeks ago. At that time we had temporary exclusion and restricted access zones in the air, on water and on land and I wasn't going to 'acquire targets' (unfortunate terminology from Furuno as well) in the air in case it was a military plane and it caused them to have an adverse reaction. It was a relief when all those world leaders left town.

I assume that our boat radars just sweep and re-affirm the target each revolution and there is no difference in our transmissions when targets are acquired. Locked on to the wrong object in the strict sense could end in tears, or worse....

Insequent said:

I assume that our boat radars just sweep and re-affirm the target each revolution and there is no difference in our transmissions when targets are acquired. Locked on to the wrong object in the strict sense could end in tears, or worse....

Click to expand...

I don't think anybody knows when they've been acquired by a regular marine radar. The transmissions from your waveguide don't change. Acquiring a target with ARPA just means the internal computer is keeping track of it.

I've picked up planes on the radar before too. I had a steady stream of them coming into Chicago once. and it took me a minute to figure out what was going on, since it was foggy and I didn't hear the planes at first. It was a little disconcerting, since they were flying almost directly overhead, so it looked like they were coming right at me. I never could get ARPA to lock on.

N4712 said:

Was playing with my recently installed radar and noticed it was picking up planes taking off from FLL (airport is right next to our Marina ) so I decided to try and get a lock with ARPA and was successful. I thought this was pretty cool so I figured I'd share.
http://youtu.be/biwejrKHzBw

Click to expand...

I'm impressed too, Oliver.

You're a smart kid with time on your hands.

Ever want to visit Ireland, you're more than welcome and I have plenty to keep you busy.

N4712 said:

Was playing with my recently installed radar and noticed it was picking up planes taking off from FLL (airport is right next to our Marina ) so I decided to try and get a lock with ARPA and was successful. I thought this was pretty cool so I figured I'd share.
http://youtu.be/biwejrKHzBw

Click to expand...

Interesting. Where's you're marina? When we lived down there in the late '90s, we kept our previous boat at a place way up the Dania Cut, i.e., to the west of the low highway and railroad bridges. And we were right across from (south of) the FLL runways...

-Chris

ranger42c said:

Interesting. Where's you're marina? When we lived down there in the late '90s, we kept our previous boat at a place way up the Dania Cut, i.e., to the west of the low highway and railroad bridges. And we were right across from (south of) the FLL runways...

-Chris

Click to expand...

We keep our boat right across from Derecktor at Royale Palm Yacht Basin just after Harboure towne. We used To keep our Camano at LSBC up the cut off.

ranger42c said:

Interesting. Where's you're marina? When we lived down there in the late '90s, we kept our previous boat at a place way up the Dania Cut, i.e., to the west of the low highway and railroad bridges. And we were right across from (south of) the FLL runways...

-Chris

Click to expand...

We keep our boat right across from Derecktor at Royale Palm Yacht Basin just after Harboure towne. We used To keep our Camano at LSBC up the cut off.

Insequent said:

I've seen planes on my radar too. Last time I looked it was during the G20 meeting here a few weeks ago. At that time we had temporary exclusion and restricted access zones in the air, on water and on land and I wasn't going to 'acquire targets' (unfortunate terminology from Furuno as well) in the air in case it was a military plane and it caused them to have an adverse reaction. It was a relief when all those world leaders left town.

I assume that our boat radars just sweep and re-affirm the target each revolution and there is no difference in our transmissions when targets are acquired. Locked on to the wrong object in the strict sense could end in tears, or worse....

Click to expand...

Nah, but if I had dedicated FC radars to light up specific objects there could be a problem, but I don't even think a regular commercial airplane would realize.

Wxx3 said:

I'm impressed too, Oliver.

You're a smart kid with time on your hands.

Ever want to visit Ireland, you're more than welcome and I have plenty to keep you busy.

Click to expand...

Richard, I can't take credit for the tuning of the radar, it was on auto. It did a damned good job IMO.

N4712 said:

We keep our boat right across from Derecktor at Royale Palm Yacht Basin just after Harboure towne. We used To keep our Camano at LSBC up the cut off.

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Ah, nice area. We were further west, about the same distance past US1 as you are east. Iguanas and monkeys on the Cut, as we came in and out.

Edit: Hmmm... can't find the marina we used. This was circa 2000-2001, and it was a bit sketchy even at the time, but at least we had covered slips and I could get fuel delivered by truck. Something about the "hotel?" property next door was to be renovated, the marina we were in hoped to be part of the deal -- or at least hoped to upgrade themselves because of it. Something like that; can't quite remember... without going back to look at old check registers. Anyway, I think it was near where a thing called Thunderboat Marina is now...


-Chris

ranger42c said:

Ah, nice area. We were further west, about the same distance past US1 as you are east. Iguanas and monkeys on the Cut, as we came in and out.

Edit: Hmmm... can't find the marina we used. This was circa 2000-2001, and it was a bit sketchy even at the time, but at least we had covered slips and I could get fuel delivered by truck. Something about the "hotel?" property next door was to be renovated, the marina we were in hoped to be part of the deal -- or at least hoped to upgrade themselves because of it. Something like that; can't quite remember... without going back to look at old check registers. Anyway, I think it was near where a thing called Thunderboat Marina is now...

-Chris

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Found the name; at the time it was called "Milt's Marina." Shakey geo-searches suggest it was probably where ActiveCaptain currently shows a place called Griffin Marina and Bay Club. Just north of Griffin, just east of I-95. Empty. Sheds gone.

-Chris

ranger42c said:

Found the name; at the time it was called "Milt's Marina." Shakey geo-searches suggest it was probably where ActiveCaptain currently shows a place called Griffin Marina and Bay Club. Just north of Griffin, just east of I-95. Empty. Sheds gone.

-Chris

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Yeah, they started to build a marina there then it was stopped and bought by the city for the airport expansion. There are docks there but aren't going to be in use. They put up some signal lights for the planes in there too.

The big Hilton was also knocked down with the sheds, it's was in the flight path for the airport too. Now it's just grass.

When you get bored what do you do? Track planes! Here's another I got on video, this one was with overlay though to five you an idea of where the plane was relative to me.
Dropbox - Error - Simplify your life

Very cool, Oliver. It kinda let's one get a window into the life of a air controller. I can only imagine what it would be like at a really busy airport.

Moonstruck said:

Very cool, Oliver. It kinda let's one get a window into the life of a air controller. I can only imagine what it would be like at a really busy airport.

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Yeah it must beyond hectic..... The amount planes that go through FFL is crazy, especially with the runway upgrade they did.

I could probably just sit there all day long and track planes that come in and out and not get bored.

N4712 said:

Yeah, they started to build a marina there then it was stopped and bought by the city for the airport expansion. There are docks there but aren't going to be in use. They put up some signal lights for the planes in there too.

The big Hilton was also knocked down with the sheds, it's was in the flight path for the airport too. Now it's just grass.

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Ah, well, it wasn't much of a place, anyway. Happened to be nearest for travel from our house at the time (way west in Pembroke Pines), and the covered shed/shaded was a sort-of bonus... except for the falling rust, from time to time. Good memory, though, glad I looked it up...

-Chris

The nice thing about Vero Beach is the nearest airport of any substance is 60+ minutes away. Well, it is nice until one has to fly to Hotel California to see their grandkid....