Mike, One other option for mounting the radar is to utilize a gimbaled backstay mount , which allows the mount to be sufficiently high above head height and has the advantage of self levelling the dome to orient with the horizon. It is a less invasive mount that doesn’t require additional holes to be drilled in the mast and is far simpler than installing a separate mast to be supported at the stern of the boat. If you unstep your mast in the winter, a back stay mount would require the radar dome be reset on the mount each time you re-commission the boat and the gimballed mounts tend to be pricey. Another issue of mounting your dome behind the mast, either on the backstay or on a separate mast, is that the sailboat mast will be viewed as a target on the readout and can cause a blind spot in the center of your direction of travel. Not ideal..
I’d say that here on the East Coast, the majority of radar use occurs when motoring in fog or during nighttime when visibility is low. Those that sail in heavily travelled shipping lanes tend to want to know what is on the horizon as well as what is in close. If you use the radar while sailing in breeze, keeping the dome level creates fewer blind spots due to a tilted dome looking down at the water on the leeward side of the boat and the windward side pointing up into the sky. I’ve also heard that the 3G and 4G domes by Simrad/B&G/Lowrance use a different band of radar waves that are supposedly less harmful if mounted at head level on the boat. But perhaps I shouldn’t believe everything I read in the glossy magazines… So again I’ve created more questions than answers… Chuck Gilchrest From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Headgorilla via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2015 3:43 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Headgorilla <headgori...@aol.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus List - Raymarine Combo on sale again Thanks Guys, I was thinking mast mount mostly to keep it away from passengers and crew, however I can see it as a possible pest on the mast as well..... I still have some time since we are wrapped up and on land....I really appreciate the input Mike -----Original Message----- From: Frederick G Street via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > To: cnc-list <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Cc: Frederick G Street <f...@postaudio.net <mailto:f...@postaudio.net> > Sent: Tue, Dec 29, 2015 3:32 pm Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus List - Raymarine Combo on sale again A couple of comments on radar: a mast-mounted radar will “see” vessels further away, including over the horizon compared to deck-level. But as Chuck mentioned, it will not see things in the water closer to the boat, as there’s about a 12.5° vertical beam width above/below horizontal on most marine radars; so as a target gets within several dozen yards of the radar, it’ll be too low to be picked up. Using a stern pole can help with this close-in imaging of targets; but you lose the distant ability of having the dome up high. There is also a danger with stern pole mounting of having the radar beam hit deck crew; stand too close to a high-power radar beam, and you can develop some nasty medical issues like vision loss. This is an issue I have with power boaters who mount the dome right on their hard top (usually a large open array…), then come into the dock on a clear sunny day with the radar merrily turning away. The beam is pretty much at head-height for anyone standing on the dock, and it’s pretty easy to get a nice face full of microwave radiation at close range. Chuck — as far as NME0183 vs NMEA2000 on the Raymarine a, c, e, and eS Series MFDs, ALL of them support NMEA2000. See page 51 of the a-c-e Installation Manual. The smallest versions of the a and c Series DO NOT have NMEA0183 connections on them at all. — Fred Fred Street -- Minneapolis S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- on the hard in Bayfield, WI :^( On Dec 29, 2015, at 1:51 PM, Chuck Gilchrest via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: Mike, My experience with mast mounted radar is not favorable. Close in targets tend to drop off (such as small boats and channel markers in the fog) as the radar tends to see above those objects. The mast mount is also hell on an overlapping jib.. Chuck Gilchrest Sent from my iPhone On Dec 29, 2015, at 2:23 PM, Headgorilla via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: Thanks for discussing the Raymarine equipment, I am going into the NY boat show next week to see my electronics people and probably but a package due to all the rebates and discounts they offer, so I appreciate your experience on this subject....I am listening. One Question: where the best spot to mount the Radar antenna, on the Mast? or off a pole on the stern? Mike Dolan 1979 34' C&C "Skywalker" Southold, NY -----Original Message----- From: Chuck Gilchrest via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > To: cnc-list <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Cc: Chuck Gilchrest <csgilchr...@comcast.net <mailto:csgilchr...@comcast.net> > Sent: Tue, Dec 29, 2015 2:15 pm Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus List - Raymarine Combo on sale again I believe the C series units also rely on NMEA 0183 networking language where A, E series and newer will be NMEA 2000 and can network more readily with peripherals such as wind, speed, depth, and autopilot. I’d check to see what’s on your boat with regards to the peripherals and that may make a difference in your decision making process. Don’t try to mix and match instrument brands or operating language otherwise you will spend all your sailing time trying to make the instruments talk to each other and at best, functionality will be limited. Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1975 25 Mk 1 S/V Orion 1983 35 Landfall Padanaram, MA From: CnC-List [ <mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com?> mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Frederick G Street via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2015 1:03 PM To: <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Frederick G Street < <mailto:f...@postaudio.net> f...@postaudio.net> Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus List - Raymarine Combo on sale again Sure! The eS Series is the newest MFD from Raymarine, and is basically an updated, more powerful version of the e Series, with both touchscreen and hard controls. I would definitely recommend the eS over the e if you’re looking to buy today, particularly at the 7” size where there’s not much difference at all in price. The Raymarine c Series has NO touchscreen capability whatsoever; just buttons. I’d put it at the bottom of the heap in terms of power and functionality. How’s that? :^) Happy New Year, all! — Fred Fred Street -- Minneapolis S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- on the hard in Bayfield, WI :^( On Dec 29, 2015, at 11:22 AM, Tim Goodyear < <mailto:timg...@gmail.com> timg...@gmail.com> wrote: Fred, thank you for that summary - I've been trying to work out what the differences between the Raymarine models amount to in the real world. Would you care to expand your descriptions to include the "c" and "es" ranges too? Thanks! Tim _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: <http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com> http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
_______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
