Furuno’s Marine Radar operator’s guide is a comprehensive source.
Did you know that the word radar is an acronym? It’s RAadio Detecting And Ranging. It is a device which measures not only the time it takes for a pulsed signal to be reflected back from an object but also its bearing relative to your position. No other piece of marine electronics can give you as much information about objects around your own ship as Radar. Radar is the single most important piece of electronics to have on board, yet not everyone knows all of its capabilities. That is why Furuno has published the Complete Operator’s Guide to Marine Radar. From its principles to controls and operation, the guide is a handy source for any boater using Radar.
While your chartplotter may show where everything around you is supposed to be, only your Radar can show you where everything is, including coastline and navigation aids, such as beacons or buoys, as well as uncharted objects such as vessel traffic and other obstructions.
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What Radar Can Do
Radar mainly functions as an anti-collision aid but also provides information about the whereabouts of neighboring vessels, coastal outlines, etc.
⊲ Navigate in darkness and fog
In fog or darkness, you may lose situational awareness around your own ship because of poor or no visibility. With Radar acting as your eyes, however, you can monitor other ships’ movement under these conditions.
⊲ Collision avoidance
The guard alarm feature of every Furuno Radar alerts you when targets enter a particular area or your own ship is nearing a dangerous area. The alarm zone can be forward of your ship or a 360-degree circle around the vessel. When Radar targets such as other ships, landmasses, or buoys enter the zone, an audible alarm sounds to alert the operator.
⊲ Assess target movement
The Echo Trail feature simulates target movement in afterglow. It is useful for assessing the movement of all targets relative to your own ship. Some Radars have the capability to show the true movement of targets, providing increased navigational safety.
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⊲ Determine own ship’s position
Since Radar sees further than the naked eye, the echoes from islands and landmasses can be used to determine your own ship’s position. When running near land, you can use peninsulas and other targets whose echoes show distinct contours on the display to determine position. Distant tall mountains or bridges may be similarly used provided they are above the horizon.
⊲ Navigate to specific location
Fishing vessels and pleasure boats use Radar to help them navigate to favorite fishing spots. When navigating to a fishing spot, the forces of wind and current can combine to throw the vessel off its intended course. To remember your location if your ship drifts, use the VRM and EBL to mark range and bearing to nearby islands or peninsulas.
⊲ Navigate straight to waypoint
The map-like picture displayed by Radar helps you navigate straight to a waypoint and complements chartplotter images.
⊲ Receive Radar beacon (RACON)
Radar can receive pulsed signals from a Radar beacon to determine your own ship’s position.
⊲ Fishing operation
Besides its basic function as an aid to navigation, Radar is also a valuable tool for fishing operations. Purse seiners use it to monitor net shape, observing the echoes from floats attached to the net. It is especially useful in fleet fishing for determining position of vessels and locating fishing grounds. Specialty fishermen use Radar to search for sea birds, which may be an indication of the presence of bait fish or their target species. This technique has become easier with the advent of dual-range simultaneous scanning, such as that found in NavNet 3D, TZtouch, TZtouch2, and TZtouch3, where the navigator can use one Radar screen with the gain set for targeting birds, while the other Radar screen is used to navigate. As you can see, for many fishing vessels, Radar functions more often as an aid to fishing rather than an aid to navigation.
Furuno goes into a lot of detail explaining how Radar works, the terminology, definitions, and operation to get the most out of your radar, including how to interpret what you see on screen. Although with a focus on Furuno radars, this manual is a go-to source to get the most of your Radar.
-by Steve Davis/Furuno
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