radar opertion

[ssobol]

I got a JRC Radar 1000 from a C-Brat. I finally got around to trying it out. I set it up and put it on the roof of my house to test it out. It seems to be operating. If I put it on the shortest range (1/8 mi) and turn the gain down pretty much all the I can see returns from what I take to be the cars across the street. If I reverse the scanner heading these returns move to the opposite side of the display.

However, I can't seem to see anything else. I live in a typical suburban setting so there are roads, houses, cars, trees, etc. all around. There is a big box store which has one side squarely facing the radar about 1/2 mile away. There are some trees in between though.

I have played with the settings on the radar and cannot see anything other than the stuff right across the street. While I haven't ever messed with a radar before and the JRC 1000 is an older radar, I was expecting to see a bit more from the radar on my house than what I am actually seeing.

So the question is, am I seeing what is expected for this environment or is the radar faulty or do I have some setting wrong?

I have tried the set up procedure given in the manual and also a factory reset, but it doesn't seem to make much difference to the radar image.

Before I go to the trouble of installing this on my boat I want to know that it is working correctly.

Short range:



Longer range:

[thataway]

My best guess is that the radar is working properly. In residential neighborhoods (I have used mine on part of my property, where I store the boats, only about 100 feet where the boat is in the water. On the land, I get somewhat similar to what you got. When I put the boat in the water--now I have the flat water, with features which pop up--the sides of the bayou, and trees houses etc.

I don't know how many items are "blocking" your beam, but I suspect that other roofs, trees etc are. The horizontal beam is about 5*--but the vertical beam is between 20* and 30* So a lot of items can give echos. The 1.5 mile trace shows a lot of blockage very close to the scanner. The .125 mile trace shows a fair number of items (the cars, trees???) But cars may be below 15* (half of 30 vertical beam width).??

Also I rarely used "auto gain" on those older sets (I have owned a JRC 1000, and I believe that my son's boat has the JRC 1000. They are decent radars for the time period--and as you experiment with settings on the boat, you should become proficient.

[ssobol]

Thanks. Maybe I'll go down near where I boat and try it on top of my van. Although, I live near DC and they might get nervous if they see a vehicle with a radar unit on top.

[JamesTXSD]

That era radar "sees" metal better than it sees wood or fiberglass - thus the reason you are seeing cars on the radar. When in an area with close-in targets, it isn't unusual to get scatter that confuses the returns (what your screen with the close-in full is seeing).

With a larger radar on the commercial boats I drove in Friday Harbor, sitting in the slip right across from the Washington State Ferry, the returns were blocked by all the nearby boats and structures. I would have to get the boat out into the harbor before getting returns that made sense.

Sounds to me like your radar is working. Any reason you are considering trying it on the van instead of on your boat?

I could get a decent display most of the time on auto-gain, but it is best if you use it in decent visibility conditions to see how it correlates with what your eyeballs are seeing. Good to know that you can trust it AND know how to interpret what you are seeing on the screen. I really appreciate a unit that can over-lay the radar on top of the chartplotter.

As you adjust the gain and range, you will understand how the radar may not be able to pick up things close to the water, like logs or kayaks. Or, how it may show tall wave conditions as scatter all around you - you want to be able to adjust the gain for the conditions.

A good functioning radar will allow you to be out (or get back) in visibility conditions that would be very dicey without radar. Good luck with the process.

[ssobol]

Since the unit is used I want to be sure that it is working ok before I go to the trouble of installing it. I'd have to mount the scanner, mount the display, and do the wiring. If the radar is defective or the tube as timed out, then I don't want to be doing that work for nothing.

I know of a park on the Potomac River (where we often boat). I can sit in the parking lot overlooking the river and play with the radar 'til I figure out how to get a good display or figure out that it is not working properly. I'll also be able to focus on the radar without worrying about driving the boat too. This weekend there should be a fair number of boats out so I can also see how it handles other targets.

[thataway]

The van is still not on the water--and it will make a little difference.

Sailing the coast of Spain, only a few miles from Gibraltar, we anchored for the night. I watched a jeep, towing a trailer with a Raytheon radar dome, towing a trailer with an off road motor bike make its way to the beach. They hid the jeep, right at the water's edge, with only the radar dome showing above a rock. The customs agents were watching for smugglers--and would take off down the beach after the smugglers from Morocco. The smugglers went up the cliffs with horses and mules, some places the motor bike could not go. The smuggler boats were cigarette types with twin I/O and 3 of the largest outboards available. There was a slanted back deck to handle the zodiac dinghy which was launched launched to take the contraband ashore. The smugglers lived in Gibraltar, and the next night we watched them parade out just after dusk.

[hardee]

[thataway]

I'm old fashioned, and used to doing an overlay on the paper chart in my head. This forces you to recognize each feature, and question if it is a "target" or just an natural object.

The JRC will not do overlay. But is is a rugged unit which seems to last a long time. I do agree with using it in the day time. I am doing this with my new "digital" radar, which shows more than the magnetron units did. Thus a new learning pattern, and I run it in the daytime to learn about all of it features and peculiarities.

Take the time to "play" with gain, sea clutter, rain, etc--lean what each feature is, and how it impacts the picture. Also you may see ghost images, Learn what these are, and why they appear.