Radar

[paintfly]

This is the sort of radar reflector I was talking about

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RADAR-REFLECTOR-TUBE...VQQcmdZViewItem

 

A useful item and will in ideal conditions make a kayak show up on a big dot.

 

Wind up or not there is no place or need for a Radar itself on a kayak.

 

 

Yeah, all you really need is one of these

 

[Greywulff]

ACKOMEISTER

 

You will end up like these guys!

 

 

 

Or are you in the club already?

[maidstonemike]

There you go. Stick it in your ear.

http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/chandlery_prod...lector_tube.htm

[Martin Hurst]

Enough Fellas this is killing me Top entertainment .

[Newt]

Someone new to the discussion and another mocker. Newt it 'l work but the writing will be backwards i think on the screen.

Not quite new to the discussion - just haven't had much to say on it until that question came to mind but the rotational issue did have me worried.

 

If you check the responders, any with fewer than 16 posts had to be approved each time they posted and either John S or I did the approving so we were following along.

 

Let me add a serious agreement to the radar reflector suggestion though. Not needed often but having one available could save your life in some situations and they are certainly small and inexpensive enough.

[GB]

Hav'nt laughed so much in a good while, you whitty lot you :boxing:

 

Seriously the radar on a yak will be all but useless. AK have you ever used one on a small boat before? I will tell you now that unless you can get some serious hieght you will get a load of clutter, in which case you will have to turn the sensitivity down on the screen which means you will only see large objects.

 

Incidently where and when do you intend to use the radar?

[Nicepix]

Now I've been toying with the idea of a wine cellar, now I know what your thinking, but I've already got enough bungee to hold the bottles in place, probs being trying to keep me Verve de Vernay at the

 

right temp and the possibility of gaining to much draught, anybody have a similar problem.

Serioulsy ACKOMEISTER' hope it works out for you, best thread in ages

 

Ah! That's easy. Just pump sea water around a jacket containing the bottles of champers and you should keep them cool, until global warming takes hold that is. The problem I have is that the saltwater is playing hell with the dishwasher and it leaves an unsightly film on the old crystal flutes.

[Mark Crame]

Seriously the radar on a yak will be all but useless.

 

So? What's that got to do with anything? It'll look bloody excellent.

 

I have two wine cellars attached to the yak. One fits beneath the hull which keeps the whites and rose's nicely chilled. The red goes in the rear tankwell beneath a transparent plastic canopy which raises the temperature to the correct amount. I run the compressor hose out through a small hole behind my seat to facilitate the oxidation upon opening a bottle.

 

Anyone know where I can get a bright yellow soda stream? The kids get upset at the lack of optics above the mantelpiece for their refreshments.

[Simon Everett]

Gilbo, at the height above the water that you will be able to mount the radar reflector you will not be visible on a commercial radar screen at more than about 500 yards, provided the operator has the range on the set turned down to 1 mile range - most ships use 3 miles range as it serves the purpose for picking up navigation buoys.

 

At 500 yards you will be in the radar shadow of the bow - so still invisible to the radar.

 

The radar signal given off by your reflector at near enough water level will only be visible in flat calm conditions - in fog you might have an eagle eyed operator sharp enough to pick up your image, but I doubt it as most watchkeepers now are not that skilled. Something like a coastguard cutter, or a lifeboat (possibly) or even a Naval ship might pick you up - but only at very close range - too close to be able to manoevre in time!!

 

In any kind of a wave your signal will be lost in the troughs of the waves, and so you will blend into the surface clutter, as your target will come and go on the screen and so be disregarded.

 

The silly foil hat picture is actually about the best radar signal giver for a kayak yet devised - another thing that was tested was a saucepan (from the camping kit) and that gave off a good signal - leading to the trying of a foil lined hat. The worrying thing was, that the coastguard could see the signal, but a fishing boat using the identical system could not even though they had the gain set the same and on the same range - this was down to the radar interpretation of the operators. The coastguard operator was better trained than the fishing skipper. Again the maximum range of visibility on the radar was about 800 yards in perfectly flat conditions.

 

If you fit it, for heavens sake don't rely on it to keep you out of trouble. If you hear or see a vessel approaching on a collision course - get out the way FAST. The chances are they will NOT have seen you, radar reflector or no.

[gilbo]

Gilbo, at the height above the water that you will be able to mount the radar reflector you will not be visible on a commercial radar screen at more than about 500 yards, provided the operator has the range on the set turned down to 1 mile range - most ships use 3 miles range as it serves the purpose for picking up navigation buoys.

 

At 500 yards you will be in the radar shadow of the bow - so still invisible to the radar.

 

The radar signal given off by your reflector at near enough water level will only be visible in flat calm conditions - in fog you might have an eagle eyed operator sharp enough to pick up your image, but I doubt it as most watchkeepers now are not that skilled. Something like a coastguard cutter, or a lifeboat (possibly) or even a Naval ship might pick you up - but only at very close range - too close to be able to manoevre in time!!

 

In any kind of a wave your signal will be lost in the troughs of the waves, and so you will blend into the surface clutter, as your target will come and go on the screen and so be disregarded.

 

The silly foil hat picture is actually about the best radar signal giver for a kayak yet devised - another thing that was tested was a saucepan (from the camping kit) and that gave off a good signal - leading to the trying of a foil lined hat. The worrying thing was, that the coastguard could see the signal, but a fishing boat using the identical system could not even though they had the gain set the same and on the same range - this was down to the radar interpretation of the operators. The coastguard operator was better trained than the fishing skipper. Again the maximum range of visibility on the radar was about 800 yards in perfectly flat conditions.

 

If you fit it, for heavens sake don't rely on it to keep you out of trouble. If you hear or see a vessel approaching on a collision course - get out the way FAST. The chances are they will NOT have seen you, radar reflector or no.

 

Thanks for that and I will drop the idea of a relector.