Radar, AIS, Radar Reflectors - overkill or sensible safety options?

[JohnnyMW]

I hate predictive - why I have been considering radar 👍

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by jwalker

I'm the opposite to PD. I have both radar and AIS but would choose radar every time. I don't find operating the radar at all difficult and it is the only device which actually shows you what is out there. If a boat does not have an AIS tranmitter or it is off or transmitting incorrect info (which they do) you won't know. If in fog, you need to know what is around you so you know what you may crash into rather than only considering avoiding what might crash into you. Also, I've been in situations in a fog where the chart is wrong or where a buoy is off station - the radar lets you look carfully at your surroundings to determine where you actually are. In good visability I often see boats on the radar long before I spot them by eye. Even small targets can be seen, birds, creel pot markers, logs etc. and at night spotting a creel buoy is defo worth knowing about.

I agree about seeing what is around you. But looking at my usage of the 2 systems, I use AIS much more than radar. I use AIS in a day to day basis & it's always on & displaying in the plotter, I find it enhances my awareness of what's happening around me, also the range is much greater than radar mounted at "rib" height. Radar is useful for those rare (to me) times when you get caught in thick fog (couple of times but never a pea souper) or the odd night passage. In terms of usage, the AIS wins hands down.


Lions led by donkeys

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by JohnnyMW

I think these are very much the reasons Why I have been. Onside ring radar - at night and in fog. I have had one situation where I came across an uncharted ledge at night which may have been different had I been using radar. Do you have yours mounted like PD? Or just on the A frame?

Mine is a cabin rib so it's mounted on the roof, on my previous rib my metalwork was just behind the seats rather than at the the stern so the radar was above head height and not beaming through the crew and, also, the white nav light was positioned so as to be shielded by the radome so that it didn't illuminate the helm position at night - a big plus.

Originally Posted by Mr.Pikey Dave

In terms of usage, the AIS wins hands down.

I'm not in any way critical of your use of AIS, far from it, I too use it but it has limitations that the radar doesn't have. As for different ranges of AIS and radar, maybe aye, maybe no...

[willk]

Originally Posted by jwalker

and, also, the white nav light was positioned so as to be shielded by the radome so that it didn't illuminate the helm position at night - a big plus...

Top tip - thanks yet again!