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Okay I've done the search and read a lot of info on a H/S for radar overlay. I've come to the conclusion that I will need one for running slow through the fog. I think this will be my main concern for getting one. The new unit is a C80 with a 4 kw dome. My question is will the H/S allow my chartplotter to ACCURATELY keep a fix on my position at speeds<10kts? and does the C80 have a fast enough redraw? I freely admit that I am electronicaly challenged.
Boomer,
I have a JRC radar and Furuno chartplotter. I also have a TR1 autopilot with a rate gyro that puts out heading data via NMEA. I have that data going to my chartplotter but can't seem to get it to work on the radar. I want that data primarily for tracking birds.
For traveling thru fog or low visibility, the relative bearing of targets seems to work fine for me. I set the radar monitor in the heads up mode and all targets are relative to the bow of the boat. To me, it is only important to know how the target will affect my course and not a heading to it.
That probably doesn't answer your question but it is the best I can do.
Thanks for the reply aubrey. What has me curious is my Furuno 1650 is maybe 1/8-1/4 mile behind me. Going down the Ms. river at about 30 kts. I'll be in South Pass before my plotter gets there. I'm hoping for a little more accuracy with the new plotter.
The C series should have no problem, whether at 5 kts (with a heading sensor) or 30 kts. Just make sure you calibrate the system right. Once you do, the radar overlay on the plotter is pretty awesome and very accurate.
Instead of the Raymarine heading sensor, there is another manufacturer that people here have used with great success. I think it's the KVH Autocomp 1000, which sells for a little more than half of the Raymarine product. I have not used it, but I think it's worth looking into. Run a search and you should find some old threads on it.
My question is will the H/S allow my chartplotter to ACCURATELY keep a fix on my position at speeds<10kts?
The HS provides heading data only (what direction the boat is moving). It does not provide info on where the boat is (the GPS does that).
When you are moving fast, the GPS can indicate your heading based on your actual movement (COG). When you are moving slowly, it does not update fast enough to indicate heading
aubrey - does the radar have a NMEA input ? If it works on the plotter, it should work on the radar provided it is connected properly. You may also have to enable something in the configuration to recognize the NMEA data
Heading sensor 
