Radar question

S

SCORPIO

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If you had to choose between the Garmin 18 HD and the 24 HD, which would you choose and why? Both units are 4kw, the 18 had a 5 degree beam width and the 24 has a 3.4 degree beam width. The 18 is a 36nm range and the 24 is a 48 nm range, these are both worthless numbers since I will be mounting it on the arch of my 300 DA so they won't have a horizon that is even 36nm. Just trying to decipher the specs to see which would serve me best. They are close in price so I want to pick the one best suited to my needs.

A little background, I boat on Delaware Bay/Ocean so conditons of short chop and swells are common. We cruise as well as fish. I'd like to be able to see thunder storms coming as far off as possible since most weather comes from the west and that is the direction I have to head for shore, so I want as much lead time as possible to beat it back before it hits. We can get some pretty thick fogs from time to time so I want to be able to pick out boats and other obstructions. I will be hooking this up to a Garmin 3210 plotter and mounting the dome on about a 12" radar mount on top of my factory radar arch to maximise range and reduce the radiation to my head.

Thanks
 
The 3.4* Horizontal beamwidth should provide much better definition of target returns. Shoreline/channel features, naviads , other boats, pot buoys, gulls.... all will look less "blobby" with the narrower horiz. beamwidth.
 
I vote for narrower beamwidth ( = better resolution )

It's is what I had...
 
yup narrow beam because you can see smaller features at equal distances. 1.6 degrees is about 150' at one mile. two thinga 160' apart would look like one
 
So thats three votes for the 24 so far. I was kind of leaning that way myself just want to be sure before I pull the trigger. Don't want to go too small and waste money either. Keep the responses coming, I'll start shopping for sepcials on both.
 
I was kind of in the same boat as you last year. I reviewed as many reviews as I could find at the time. One of the big themes that I saw was despite specs... what you ACTUALLY see on the screen with an 18HD as compared to a 24HD was very small and not worth the extra price for the 24"HD.

So I did buy the 18"HD and have been very happy with it so far. No problem picking up bouys or showing seprate targets for tugs and their tows.

I really wanted one of those six foot open arrays but my wife wanted a new car more :-(

Dave
 
Dave, I am sure you are satisfied with your unit.

But when I had mine, I had several ( many ) visitors who, without prompting, noticed and voiced comments that my radar was superior to theirs. ( I was the only 24" dome at the marina ). There is a difference and, for many, it is a useful difference. If the two are close in price, then definitely go for the higher resolution unit.

---

Note: ANY radar is better than NO radar. And yes, there are diminishing returns. I paid substantially more for my 24" dome than I would have for an 18" and never looked back. I was quite pleased.
 
Well I've got to stick to Garmin since my plotter mfd is a Garmin, got to keep costs contained. I have nothing against Furuno or any of the other brands.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HIGHLIFEII

Get a Furuno open array!

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I'll second the Furuno, 10,000 commercial operators can't be wrong.
 
I went through this decision last year when my Furuno 4' open array died. I was back and forth betweem the 18" and the 24" spoke with BillIII and he told me he had the 24" had problems while it was out being repaired he picked up the 18" and didn't see much of a difference with that I went with the 18". I love Garmin products but I must say the Ruruno worked much better for Radar pick up. The display and integration is much better on the Garmin then the old CRT display I had. I don't think you can go wrong with which ever you decide.
 
Dave is right I tend to purchase the 1st of anything when it hits the boating market. I was in line and waited 6 weeks for delivery of my Garmin 24HD. The unit failed error code 6 within 2 days. I love Garmin products and still have all their products. After the 3rd trip back to the factory I decided to purchase a GMR18HD, while there was some difference in target definition not enough for me to switch back. I sold the 24HD (after it sat in the box in my shop for a year) to my slip neighbor and kept the 18HD. But I have other aides on my vessel like an AIS class B transponder, SIRIUS WX service (Garmin's GXM51) a NAVTEX receiver and a FLIR thermal imager. I doubt I would switch back I'm still hoping Garmin comes out with a broadband radar unit, but that is another story.
Bill
 
If they are that close in resolution quality, I may opt for the 18HD since it is several hunderd dollars cheaper than the 24.
Thanks for the responses and advise.
 
Scorpio, Where did you find the 2 units close in price? I'm doing an upgrade too and I'm trying to decide between the GMR 18HD and the GMR 24HD but from what I've seen the 24 is $600-700 more. I'd love to know where you found them close in price.

Thanks
 
Well, that span of about 5oo-$700 was the close in price I was referring to. Most of the 18" domes run around $1000-$1100 and the 24s are about $1600+. Not cheap I know but compared to the $3000 price tags of some of the open arrays, I considered them to be fairly close. I also didn't want to fall victim to false economy, you know when you go "cheap" and spen the $1100 and find you don't have what you want or need and then need to still spend and additional $1600 plus to get what you should have in the first place. I'm still shopping prices on the net and if I find anything really cheap I'll let you know.
There are a lot of factory refurbished 18 HD units (which I don't know if thats good or bad) for sub $1000 but very few refurbed 24 HDs, again I don't know if thats good or bad.
 
The GMR-18 & GMR-18HD came out before the 24HD. I have never seen a defective 18HD come off a boat in my marina. I have seen one other 24HD have the problems mine did. However I believe the product is now solid.
I purchased every Garmin dome starting with the original GMR-20 through the 24HD. My favorite is the 18HD. I also wanted the smaller dome because my arch and hardtop are very crowded.
Bill
 
quote:
Originally posted by SCORPIO

Well, that span of about 5oo-$700 was the close in price I was referring to. Most of the 18" domes run around $1000-$1100 and the 24s are about $1600+. Not cheap I know but compared to the $3000 price tags of some of the open arrays, I considered them to be fairly close. I also didn't want to fall victim to false economy, you know when you go "cheap" and spen the $1100 and find you don't have what you want or need and then need to still spend and additional $1600 plus to get what you should have in the first place. I'm still shopping prices on the net and if I find anything really cheap I'll let you know.
There are a lot of factory refurbished 18 HD units (which I don't know if thats good or bad) for sub $1000 but very few refurbed 24 HDs, again I don't know if thats good or bad.

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Thanks for the info. I'm leaning towards the 18HD because I use radar for navigation and collision avoidance and there is probably not a huge difference in performance between the 18 and the 24.
If there were a $200-300 difference I'd go for it but $600 is a lot for a minimal improvement.
 
I think also you have to look at how you are planning on using the radar. For myself I usually have the radar set to 1 to 3 miles depending on what my location is at. I'm NOT a radar expert but believe you won't see much of a difference between the two at this range. However, if your situation demands constantly scanning at 6 miles or more I would believe that the 24" might be a better choice.

Here's a screen shot from my 18"HD. Note I've just cleared a bouy to port with two others further back on my stern. Also a 18' ski boat is approaching forward.

r3.jpg


Dave
 
quote:
Originally posted by tmal2

Scorpio, Where did you find the 2 units close in price? I'm doing an upgrade too and I'm trying to decide between the GMR 18HD and the GMR 24HD but from what I've seen the 24 is $600-700 more. I'd love to know where you found them close in price.

Thanks

Click to expand...


If you are not tied into Garmin, the Lowrance Broadband radar is off the charts in usability and detail
 
when running at night or in fog, I usually have teh radar set at 1/2 or 1NM, except for an occasional look at greater distance.

frankly, in most cases, i dnot' care about what is at 3 miles, 6 miles, or more, it's the short range stuff which i find important. at 8 to 9 kts (i dont' run on plane in rest. vis.) a echo that's 3 miles away is at least 10 minutes from CPA so i'd rather focus on the short range stuff, incl. the small boats running at 20kts or the guys fishing in the channel.

the one feature which i find to be the most useful is Echo Trail as it gives me instant confirmation of the track and speed of traffic, as well as clear indication of whether an echo is a boat or an ATON.

for occasional use, like Scorpio's, you probably dont' need to spend the extra $ for a unit with trails otherwise it is very nice to have.

for weather though, i woudn't mess with radar as long as you're in an area with decent wireless coverage on your cell phone. a lot better than your on board radar.
 
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