Best small stand alone radar

bigeasy1 · #1 03-01-2008, 03:32 PM

I need some input from those of you familiar with radar.I'm going to be putting a radar arch on my 74 Tsunami and want to purchase a stand alone radar.
I'm not interested in a networked system(to expensive)so i need a stand alone unit.

It looks like the two most common are Furuno and JRC LCD units.Not enough dash space for a CRT with all the other stuff.I'd like to keep the cost around 1500.00 or less.

What should i look for,?and are there any pros or cons to either?
I only have a very small amount of basic knowledge of radar,so any help is appreciated.

It's just getting too risky being out in the fog on the great lakes with the fishing boat traffic,and even worse,the freighters coming out of the Welland canal.

Thanks all

wavelength · #2 03-01-2008, 05:48 PM

I had this one as a backup to my main system on a patrol boat I ran and it worked great! Perhaps more than your budget but you get what you pay for, don't buy anything less then 4KW.

Si-tex LCD Radar

peterb · #3 03-01-2008, 07:21 PM

Currently, I hav a Raymarine unit that doubles as a GPS. I like it. However, on my previous SeaCraft I had a Fununo 1621.

It was a great simple unit.

Here is one up for auction right now on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Furun...spagenameZWDVW

Good luck

Peter

Islandtrader · #4 03-02-2008, 10:12 AM

In response to PeterB:

I had the one listed on ebay, on my Alura 30 for years. Never a problem, and very easy to use. Gave basic information and not to hard to interpret signals.

3rdday · #5 03-02-2008, 11:11 PM

I would go with a color unit, if you are not familiar with interprecting signals you will be frustrated. That is if you are going to use it for spotting birds. Other wise go with monochrome or lcd.

opensea · #6 03-05-2008, 05:19 PM

As the owner of a marine electronics company I would suggest the Furuno 1715.Great little radar. Poor display unless you are viewing it head on. So when you mount any monochrome display make sure it is right in front of you. F

bigeasy1 · #7 03-05-2008, 11:25 PM

Thanks all, for the replies.Opensea,i did some research,and found that the 1715 gets high marks from a lot of people for an affordable small radar.
Looks like the way i'll be going.