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Now
a United
States Power Squadrons Guide
The
Radar Book--2nd Edition is used in the United
States Power Squadrons Marine
Radar Seminar
From the Introduction
Using a modern radar set, you can observe your surroundings in
daylight or darkness, through fog, snow and rain, 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.
Other navigation systems, such as GPS and Loran C interfaced
with chart plotters, will tell you immediately where you are in
relation to land and other permanent features, but they don’t
tell you about transient phenomena, such as other boats, barges,
floating obstructions, etc. Radar is the only navigational
aid that not only helps you find out where you are, but shows you
where everyone else is too.
Using radar you can observe a dynamic, changing situation in
real time in zero visibility and darkness, yet navigate with
confidence and safety. In other words, having a radar set is
almost like having x-ray vision.
Yet many boaters find radar displays hard to interpret and,
consequently they fail to use their equipment anywhere near its
full potential. Of all the navigational aids available to the
recreational and small commercial boater, radar requires the most
interpretation in order to be used successfully; but once
mastered, radar is the most valuable of them all.
This book will help you understand how your radar works, so you
can properly control and interpret the information it provides, as
well as teach you the techniques for navigation, blind piloting,
and collision avoidance, so you can get absolutely the most
out of your set.
In The Radar Book—Effective Navigation and
Collision Avoidance, Captain Kevin Monahan, presents the
complete picture on how to maximize the use of a marine radar system
for collision avoidance and navigation. Through the use of practical
examples, copious illustrations and actual radar images, the
newcomer to radar as well as the experienced mariner will learn how
to tune a radar system, interpret the display under real-life
conditions, and take advantage of all of the built-in features and
functions to use radar effectively as a real-time navigational tool.
The book also includes extensive discussions of today’s next
generation radar systems, combining radar with electronic chart and
automatic target plotting technology, as well as tips and
recommendations for the purchase and installation of a new system.
Sample Images
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Using
the "anti-Rain Clutter" Control to Enhance Range Resolution
From
"The Radar Book" by Kevin Monahan |
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Above
Left
In
the entrance to Victoria Harbour, the Ogden Point terminal
breakwater is ahead and to port. The terminal itself is directly to port.
The image is blurred and difficult to interpret. In addition, side lobe
echoes have cluttered the view of the channel astern.
On
exiting Victoria Harbour, the Ogden Point cruise ship terminal is abeam to
port. Note that even though the radar is operating on short pulse, the
images of the docks and warehouses lack definition and "side-lobe
echoes" and other interference have cluttered the view of the channel
astern.
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Above
Right
The
same location viewed with "anti-Rain Clutter" control
applied. In this image, the Ogden Point cruise ship terminal can be seen
much more clearly. The radar shows each dock as a discrete target. In
addition, two ships can be seen alongside the Coast Guard base at the
lower left. Targets on the display are clearer and more easily
identified.
By
using the "anti-Rain Clutter" control,
the operator has simulated the effect of using a short pulse length.
Also, application of the "anti-Rain
Clutter" control has eliminated
unwanted "side-lobe" echoes
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Left
Extreme Side Lobe Effects
At short range, side lobe effects smear the image of a large container
ship around the display. When the target is close enough, the side lobe
effect may be strong enough to smear the echo a full 360o.
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The
Old and the New
Left:
A Marconi Radiolocator IV using a cathode ray tube (CRT) and analog
technology, circa 1952.
(From
The Use of Radar at Sea 2nd Edition 1954, by FJ Wylie, and
reproduced here with the permission of the Royal Institute of Navigation)
Right:
Nobeltec Insight Radar Overlay on Electronic Chart
A
Nobeltec Insight radar image overlaid on an electronic chart and displayed
on a laptop PC. Using this combination of charting and navigational
technology, operators can see their own position in relation to the chart,
as well as the movement of other vessels and transient features
superimposed on the chart. |
What
readers say
In
straightforward, easy-to-follow steps, supplemented with copious
examples, this book takes the reader from the basics of radar to
advanced techniques. The new radar user will welcome this book, the
experienced user will appreciate it. Both will learn from it.
Robert
Hale
Editor,
Waggoner Cruising Guide
This
is the most significant, easily understood publication regarding radar which
we've read in the past 24 years. It is a "must have" book.
Jack
and Linda Schreiber, MV Sanctuary
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