radome height .. help?!?!

[rrgane]

hi all, i KNOW that this has to be a well trod subject, but must be so much so that it has faded from popular discussion. i have done search after search and can only find vague suggestions "mount radome high enough so as not interfere with other electronics or create health issues" or "if you mount the radome too high the heeling of the boat will reduce your effective sweep".

now i have worked out that since my Garmin 18 has a minimum range of 20m that means mounting it at anything less the around 15' above waterline wastes coverage.. ? would that then be the ultimate sweet spot to mount it? i have an Islander 29 and i am mounting to mast (no gimbal) so i would assume on such a small boat the heeling issue would make mounting it as low as possible preferable?

if there are resources out there that can help me, can someone point me to them?

thanks!

[SanderO]

The issues are big waves and the fact that radar is line of sight so that higher mounts see further... but they also skip over the very close in ranges.

Obviously the poll mounts work, the backstay ones do and so do the mast mounts because they are all popular.

It's often a matter of aesthetics and cost... as the mast mounts seem to be the least expensive. But they can also interfere with tacking. The poles seem to be growing into antenna farms and they don't foul lines and don't create problems for unstepping the mast.

I think you are good with anything between 10 and 25' above the water.

I personally don't like the self leveling ones because I think they may lead to cable fatigue and failure... I never observed a problem with heeling using a mast mount.

jef
sv shiva

[rrgane]

arrrghh! wave height, i knew i had not put all the variables in! thanks Jef! as you had mentioned, i have dock-talked a few who have mounted to mast without a self leveling mechanism, and they all to a one stated no issue with heeling, they all had substantially bigger boats though

thanks!

[SallyH]

If there is radiation danger do not set it at the height shown in this PIC.

[Cruisingdad]

I would estimate mine at the 25 foot range from WL. Here is a pic:



- CD

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by SallyH

If there is radiation danger do not set it at the height shown in this PIC.

Captain Darwin, sir, what's that barbeque smell coming from your Tilleys?

[Lancer28]

CD - you and I mounted in the same place. Is that because we only wanted to climb to the spreaders in the chair-o-death where there are hand-holds? My wife thinks so but I told her it was a tradeoff between wave height, short range distance, and having glow in the dark children.

[Cruisingdad]

Lancer,

I had that mounted with it decomissioned... the stick was down. I mounted it at that height at the recc of some folks at Valiant. They do not like it higher because of the weight aloft.

Regarding the comments about being heeled over and its operation, my experience is that it is not a problem in typical seas. If it is howling, I can't make a lot out of it anyways with it catching all the waves. It looks like a lot of clutter, especially when raining hard.

Just my experiences.

- CD