Check the Practical Sailor archives. They tested radar reflectors and found none of them were really very effective, IIRC. But better than nothing. Also, even if your active radar did help make you more visible, you'd have to have it on.
On Sat, Feb 3, 2018 at 1:29 AM, Damian Greene via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > One of the fellow members of our UK yacht club (Reading Offshore Sailing > Club) has a funny story about entering Le Havre in fog with their active > radar reflector. Based on the size of their echo, the other traffic was > expecting a much bigger ship entering the channel, and had cleared out of > the way. > > On Friday, February 2, 2018, 6:23:21 PM GMT, Frederick G Street via > CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > > That’s one of the more weird things I’ve heard… radars are specifically > designed to try to filter out any signals not their own. > > Other boats might have something like the CARD system aboard to pick up > other vessels’ radar: > > http://nordkyndesign.com/collision-avoidance-at-sea-ais-alarm-project/ > > But those systems haven’t been available new for a decade. The other type > of device that you could have on your vessel to help other radar-equipped > vessels see you better would be an active radar target augmentation system > like the Echo-Max: > > https://www.echomax.co.uk/radar-target-enhancers-x-band-dual-band.html > > Or a Search and Rescue Transponder (SART): > > http://www.offshoreblue.com/safety/sart.php > > > — Fred > > Fred Street -- Minneapolis > S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- on the hard in Bayfield, WI :^( > > On Feb 2, 2018, at 11:42 AM, Damian Greene via CnC-List < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > Here's a question for your collective wisdom: > > We regularly have fog here in Maine, and my normal practice is to hoist a > Davis emergency radar reflector in the shrouds (so I hopefully will not get > run over by a lobster boat). So this year I decided to get the yard to > mount an EchoMax reflector on the mast, and be better prepared. > > However, reviewing my work-list with the yard maintenance manager > yesterday, he asked why I was doing this, as I have radar, and the signal > from my radome would light up on other boats' radar better than a reflector. > > That's something I've never heard before, so I told him I would > investigate and get back on that. Frankly, this does not make a lot of > sense - why would people bother with radar reflectors - but he has more > than 20 years' experience with Hinckley and others. > > I'd like a definitive answer (Fred?) to resolve this. > > Thanks, > > Damian Greene > > ex C&C 34 Ghost > now Sabre 38 Freefall > Bass Harbor, Maine > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > > > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > > >
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