Raymarine Radar - The Hull Truth

seven off · 10-11-2007, 01:55 PM

Trying decide between the 4kw Radome or the Open Array. I have a 2900 VX HS and the top of the unit will be about 10 to 11 feet high above the sea surface. Talk to Raymarine and the tech said because of the lack of height there would be no big advantage to the open array. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts as to the best way to go.

Thanks

FishingKdr · 10-11-2007, 02:30 PM

That is correct because of the curevature of the earth. The dome would also be better for trailering.

Mist-Rest · 10-11-2007, 03:00 PM

Opens are also much lighter if you care.

Nothing wrong with a dome

signmansez · 10-11-2007, 04:01 PM

If you are going to use it to target birds then go with the open array. It has a narrower beam and will return a better signal for targeting birds.
A radome has a wider beam and will tend to "clump" two targets together, such as the entrance to a narrow channel or two boats near each other. They will appear as one blip or target.
The mounting height will limit the range of your antenna. This will be true with either type of antenna. I am sure you have found out, the open array is quit a bit more expensive. If you are using it to target birds the fuel savings and the success rate of being able to find birds, then the fish that are under them, will offset the difference.

Here's a quick story. While fishing last summer in the Abacos aboard a dealer supplied demo with a Raymarine 4kw open array radar we were able to spot birds 3 miles away in a somewhat choppy sea. There were two boats, both within a mile of the flock, that just went by without ever seeing the birds. We hooked 4 yellowfin and as far as we could tell the other boats got nothing because they missed the birds. Everyone on the radio was complaining that fishing was slow so how much were those 4 fish worth? All because of the radar unit. Good luck on your decision. Either way it is a valuable tool that will make you a safer boater.

RGrew176 · 10-11-2007, 10:05 PM

I would agree with the above post the open array does have a narrower beam. If funding does not allow for the open array go with the 4kw radome as it has a narrower beam than the 2kw and longer range. I have a 4kw radome and it works fine for me but my friend has the 4kw open array and you can tell the differnece. The open array does have much better target definition.

seven off · 10-12-2007, 12:07 AM

Thanks for the input guys. I do appreciate it. Of course cost is always a consideration. Also, I wonder which of the two preform better in sloppy seas. Oh and I did hear that the radome was better at painting rain. Any thoughts?

Thanks

signmansez · 10-12-2007, 07:56 AM

The performance in sloppy seas depends largely on how high the antenna is mounted. The closer to sea level the more wave clutter you will pick up, the open array will give you better target definition no matter what the conditions. As far as painting rain, both types are able to spot storms from a pretty good distance. Spotting the storms is not the main issue, it's the ability to avoid objects such as other boats, markers, sand bars, rocks, jettys and docks, especially in bad weather. Both types will give you the ability to "see" in the storm.

Are you interested in using the radar for finding birds while fishing? Do you boat in an area that is littered with congestion, do you have to navigate a narrow inlet through bad weather often? If so then you may want to go with the open array. If not, save the dough and go with the radome. Either option will be better than no radar at all.

seven off · 10-12-2007, 10:13 AM

I fish mostly the Gulf out of St. Pete and sometimes afternoon thunderstorms pop up really quick. It would be nice to track the direction of the storms as an extra precaution. Mostly we are grouper diggers. Although, the late summer does provide us with the opportunity to do some blue water fishing. I suppose that would be the time to look for the birds. This type of fishing (trolling for tuna and sails) is something I know very little about. However, it would be great to learn and having the right equipment as I have found helps.

offshorebri · 10-12-2007, 05:10 PM

Simple answer......If you can afford the open array, get it..................I had the dome for about 3 months and going from a 2.2kw Furuno dome, I expected better. So I sold the 4kw dome on the trading dock and bought the open array. It is waaaayyyy better. I easily pick up birds, SITTING on the water going across the bay. I can easily mark both sides of the "stick" channel markers. Small boats close together show as multiple targets. I can easily track the "wake" of other boats besides the boats themselves! Once I get out of my lagoon, I turn the gain all the way up and then back it down to clean up the screen and it works perfectly. I highly recommend the open array...............................Like I said, I tried both on the same boat the same day and there is a BIG difference....................

Praetorian47 · 10-12-2007, 05:15 PM

The open arrays are HEAVIER than the radomes, not lighter.
The 4kw is probably good enough for most navigational uses. Finding birds is another matter. Really heavy rain can really hurt the weaker signals, so in those situations, the more power the better.

seven off · 10-13-2007, 12:07 PM

Sound like open array is the way to go. I also like it because it will sit a little higher than the dome( no power tower required to miss spot lights and other antennas) Indeed, it is a bit heavier than the dome about 40lbs heavier. Just wondering if there are consideration for securing it to the hardtop. I won't being doing the install myself but always a good idea to have a heads up.

signmansez · 10-16-2007, 02:09 PM

If you can brace it to the hard top frame you will be better off. That 40lbs. puts a lot of stress on it's mount in the boating environment.

Streamliner · 10-18-2007, 05:54 PM

I have used a 4kw open Raymarine unit quite a bit. I could spot birds but usually not much before we could see them ourselves. We upgraded to the 10 kw unit and it is a big improvement. I wouldn't wast the money on 4 kw. We found we usually were better following a boat with a more powerful scanner. The problem with the Ray 10 kw unit is that you have to have 24 volt on board and most smaller boats only have 12 volt. There is a way to convert from 12 to 24 but it seems to use a lot of power. I know Furuno has a 6kw open array that is 12 volt. I have not used it but others have reported very good results spotting birds.