RADAR reflectors

Boris

No disagreement on radar being what I'd rather have if the choice was choose one or the other. Do know when we entered Holkman Bay from Stephens Passage for night anchorage at Tracy Arm Cove was glad we had both aboard. Just before narrow entrace in heavy fog with current and icebergs a small cruise ship broke out of the fog we were about to enter. Would just as soon not meet a cruise ship or be around any other boats in those kind of waters without both our radar and reflector, but where you are really right is at that place the cruise ship would likely not have been able to maneuver even if it could see me and reflector, where as with my radar at least I could maneuver to avoid.

On our first two Alaska Cruises had only the radar. I think of the reflector as being another back up safety item and speaking of safety items, on our 2007 cruise the generator we brought along turned out to be of equel value to the radar maybe even more. I know the discussion here is centered mainly on reflectores but depending on destination and money available there's a faily long list of safety items and their back ups that would be prudent to have along.

Jay
 
The Sea-me is the unit my father has. He has not installed it yet but we plan to this summer and test it on the water. The test looks like he made the right choice. And its not a choice between having radar or having a reflector, get both.
 
Years ago in our CD22 we cruised SE Alaska one summer with neither radar nor reflector. Maybe we were just lucky, and very reluctant to leave an anchorage if it was foggy. I imagine we didn't have much of a radar signature.

In our 26-footer, traveling the BC north coast and/or SE Alaska, we have spent as many as several hours underway in fog many times, and have changed course to avoid large ships and tugs with tows, often seen only on the radar screen. Seems to us that cruising north of Port Hardy without radar is fairly chancy, especially later in the summer - the month of Fogust, for instance.

We have a radar reflector much like Hunkydory's Davis Echomaster, also properly mounted in the catch rain position. We were heading east from Elfin Cove along the northern part of Icy Strait in fog, on the way to Glacier Bay, when we got a call from a big cruise ship that was overtaking us. They saw us on their radar from some miles back, and wondered where we were heading. We agreed to move over closer to the north side, and a few minutes later we saw them passing us a mile to our starboard, and then turning in front of us into Glacier Bay, as the fog began to disperse. It seems our simple reflector does work pretty well.
 
Just some general comments on the ability of a small radar reflector to give an enhanced return... For those who doubt the enhanced return just look at driveway reflectors, or the reflective strips on runners shoes and notice how they just blaze in your headlights...
I have a small reflector on a tree in my driveway a quarter mile from the road... As soon as we turn off the road at night that is a brilliant ruby red spot glowing at us...
 
Posted by Richard of NewMoon:
"...also properly mounted in the catch rain position." Can someone explain the quoted phrase please. What is it and why is that the "proper" mounting?

thanks for the help here,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
The catch rain position: instead of mounting with some of the plates vertical and others horizontal, with a junction of plates at the top, you want to mount it with the center of one of the pockets at the top, thus able to "catch rain". It provides a much better signature from multiple directions that way. The other way it works better in some directions than others.
 
Installed a radar reflector in 1995, at that time it was only required in Vancouver harbour. To lazy to check, but Vancouver harbour reaches out to the container port in Delta???. Do not know the brand name but it resembles the 16 inch Plastimo. I believe mine was a Dutch model that winter research in the library, rated it useless or one step up. The ball type was very good but no way to install. Hey i was legal .. wc
 
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