Joe Coons
I was aboard a friend's boat in July when we started talking about Radar sets, and I discussed the routine method for starting up a radar for the best results. “I never knew that”, he said. So here's a reminder for readers:
(1) Turn on the set, and let it go through its “warmup” cycle. (2) When ready to begin use, press “Transmit”, and go to an eight or ten mile (or higher) range. (3) Unless your set has automatic tuning, adjust the “gain” and “tuning” for the best image clarity and greatest sensitivity (some sets have a “tuning indicator” to help do this). (4) Then go to the range you wish to use, and adjust the “gain” to the setting that is just under the point where the image “smears” but don't change the tuning.
The point of all this is to remind you that tuning (unless automatic) must be done at a higher range! And remember, you'll need to re-tune your set every 10-15 minutes until it thoroughly warms up.
I run my radar whenever I'm operating and I can see my set: this keeps my radar techniques sharp, and keeps the antenna module dry and smooth-running in our damp, salty marine environment. You should do this too!
A reminder: When your boat is cleated to a dock, the line on the cleat should always form “figure eights” except the first turn! That's because it's the friction of those figure-eight crosses that hold the boat. The line should come from the boat to the side of the cleat that requires a u-turn, then around the other end of the cleat, and then makes at least one full “figure eight” before it makes another half-or-full figure eight with the end flipped under to keep it from unraveling.
You'll know you have it right when the line forms a nice symmetrical “8” stack, pinched in the center!
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Last updated 8/3/99 by SCR