Radar Installation

[catch22]

Saw this on Craigs list.

Custom Radar mounts - http://southjersey.craigslist.org/boa/1422111289.html

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Re: Nothing Else Matters

Your pictures show a great installation and a professional job. This may become obvious to me after I pick the boat up, but where did you run the antenna and power wires from the hard top to the console? Did you use one of the pipe columns as a conduit?

I run all the wires in the radar pod which at the bottom there is a hole, then thru the t-top and right under it Grady has channels for all the wires of the speakers and lights, then in the electronics box and from there in the pipe down to the helm area. When i did that, i left a pull line inside every channel and pipe for future use.

Was there a "pull" line in one of the pipe legs already... from the factory?

Most mfr's put them in, for add-ons.

No, it wasn't any, but i used one of the existing wires to pull my line then pulled the wire back up. A trick for a pull line is i always make my pull line a foot more than double the distance, this way when you pull something you still have left over on the other side in case the wire gets loose in there.

 

[LUNDINROOF]

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

I noticed in your pictures you installed two (I think) Garmin 4212's. I'm thinking of putting two 4210's and hopefully having enough room to install my VHF radio in betwen. THis will make the radio easier to get to and it will be more secure.

Downside is lack of room and the mike coard getting tangled or cut.

What do you think???

Thanks

Ed

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

The VHF, the icom i wanted to use, would not fit, the would touch the front of the electronics box when power down, but is the perfect spot for my ipod. I do have the 4212's and i have 5 or 5 1/2" in between them.

 

[Bokat]

One trick I learned when installing my electronics is to use a shop vac to suck a foam ball through the metal pipe structure tied on to fishing line. You can then tie a line onto the end of the fishing line to pull your wires through the metal pipe. I used 20 or 30 lb. fishing line and it worked great. Make sure any holes in the pipe that the wires won't be run through are sealed up temproarily until you are through with the vacuum. The foam ball can be cut from any piece of soft foam and doesn't have to be very big. I hope this helps.

 

[LUNDINROOF]

Does the antenna for the GPS have to be installed above the radar antenna?

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Does the antenna for the GPS have to be installed above the radar antenna?

Yes,or below, they say what ever is in the path of the radar WILL eventualy fry.

 

[BobP]

Good tip Bokat.

 

[BobP]

LindenR, you can also get the GPS antenna BELOW the radar beam, easy enough with a mushroom mount. Same goes for Sirius/XM satellite radio antenna. The radar angle down is 13 deg off horizontal, can cut up a large piece of cardboard into a 13 deg. wedge to see if it clears the proposed location of mount.

I have a mushroom garden up there !

Depends also how often you use radar.

 

[LUNDINROOF]

Radar

LindenR:

I think your idea of using mushroom antenna's is the solution to my problem. I have a bridge clearance of 13 ft. and want to stay at 10 ft above water line if I can. The 283 is already listed at 9 ft. bridge clearance so I was afraid that if I put the radar antenna on a stand and then added gps antenna above that it might create problems. Three feet may seem like a lot of leeway but with some of our high spring tides combined with 10 inches of rain north of us can make the reported 13 ft seem a little close.

Your idea of using a piece of cardboard will also help. I would think, however that if a mushroom antenna anywhere on the hardtop is in the path of the radar, the top itself would cause a shadow or interfer with the signal.

From prior posts, I can see that I will have to adjust the unit to show objects directly ahead on the center of the screen. So, that is a horizonal adjustment, is there a veritical? If I make the radome level at the dock or on the trailer, it will not be level at 25 mph and will be different at 40 mph.

Maybe when I get the unit and read the installation instructions all these questions will be answered. Like I said, I have until spring (February here) to get all these questions answered.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Ed

 

[BobP]

If the radome is mounted directly to hardtop at front edge of hardtop, and the mushroom is all the way at the rear of the hardtop, may be in radar beam path.

 

[catch22]

Re: Radar

LindenR:

I think your idea of using mushroom antenna's is the solution to my problem. I have a bridge clearance of 13 ft. and want to stay at 10 ft above water line if I can. The 283 is already listed at 9 ft. bridge clearance so I was afraid that if I put the radar antenna on a stand and then added gps antenna above that it might create problems. Three feet may seem like a lot of leeway but with some of our high spring tides combined with 10 inches of rain north of us can make the reported 13 ft seem a little close.

Your idea of using a piece of cardboard will also help. I would think, however that if a mushroom antenna anywhere on the hardtop is in the path of the radar, the top itself would cause a shadow or interfer with the signal.

From prior posts, I can see that I will have to adjust the unit to show objects directly ahead on the center of the screen. So, that is a horizonal adjustment, is there a veritical? If I make the radome level at the dock or on the trailer, it will not be level at 25 mph and will be different at 40 mph.

Maybe when I get the unit and read the installation instructions all these questions will be answered. Like I said, I have until spring (February here) to get all these questions answered.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Ed

If your going to use a raised mount with the radar, the low profile method, or "mushroom", (gps, Sirius, etc) antenna's will be fine.

There is no verticle adjustment, just horizontal.

The radome should be mounted with about a 4 or 5 degree "down" angle. That should put it relatively level when up on plane. Some radar mounts have an angle built in and some don't... also some of the dealers who sell radar mounts also sell angled wedges... although the one's I've seen are pricy. You can also simply stack some ss washers on the rear bolts but it certainly won't look as pretty.

Wedge - http://www.jmsonline.net/catalogsearch/ ... adar+wedge

 

[LUNDINROOF]

Catch22:

I have a local welding shop that will fabricate a aluminum base from scrap angle at whatever height and angle I want for $50. I cannot understand why they want $100+ for a wedge and almost $400 for a base.

Maybe I need to give up roofing and go into the weggie business.

 

[catch22]

Catch22:

I have a local welding shop that will fabricate a aluminum base from scrap angle at whatever height and angle I want for $50. I cannot understand why they want $100+ for a wedge and almost $400 for a base.

Maybe I need to give up roofing and go into the weggie business.

Lol... I hear that.

I could never understand those prices either.... rediculous.

I installed a mount on a friends Seafarer a few years ago. He shelled out around $250 for it, (and that was a deal)... then another $50 for a light pole, (option). He said they can stick the wedge "you know where". He went with the washers in the back, lol.

 

[BobP]

Be careful with too much tilting down on radome especially if you want to see to the stern and quarter stern when drifting, and don't place it too far back unless raised, the front lip of the hardtop may block vision when you are close to but off plane in rough water.

And you don't want any big obstacles close to the radome like searchlights then you need to elevate above, one or the other.

No issue with rod holders up there.

 

[catch22]

Be careful with too much tilting down on radome especially if you want to see to the stern and quarter stern when drifting, and don't place it too far back unless raised, the front lip of the hardtop may block vision when you are close to but off plane in rough water.

You know, now that you mentioned this... on the newer Grady factory hardtops, isn't there a downward slope already built into the top, (specifically for the radar)?

The mount I installed was on an after market hard top.

 

[BobP]

On the newer Gradys with the pushout up there, I usally see the radome ahead of it, not on it. Where I do recall a slight downward tilt.

My memory isn't what it used to be.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Thw wedge is easy to fabricate by usinf a 3/4 block of starboard, a belt sander and a lot of patients. If you have a band saw is even better to remove the majority of the stock.