Radar mount: Questus Backstay or Garhauer pole?

[ChrisS]

Finished one project and on to another! I'm going to get a Furuno 2KW radar and am debating mounting options. I am debating either the Garhauer pole or Questus backstay mount. This would be for coastal and bay cruising, and if I go the pole route, I may put a solar panel on it.

I know both systems have pluses and minuses--does anyone have any feedback on mounting and/or using either system? I've read the archived posts, but am looking for new perspectives. I'd really like to hear if anyone with a 1970s Ericon was able to configure the backstay mount installation and how they set it up.

 

[Howard Keiper]

I've got the Questus. As Questuses go, it's doing what it's supposed to. But if I had to do the install over again I'd go for a mast mount somewhere about the height of the 1st spreader (E-35 II, about 25' ?). There's just no satisfactory work around for height.
Howard Keiper
Berkeley

 

[ChrisS]

Howard--

Thanks for the response and photo. What kind of return are you getting with the Questus mount?

 

[rwthomas1]

FWIW, I thought long and hard about a backstay mount last season when I upgraded the electronics. I ended up just leaving the dome on the mast. Simple, no moving parts, etc. The only negative is a long cable run and headsail chafing. Those I can live with. A pole would be my next choice. As much as I love the "gimbaling" idea to me its just another expensive item that will eventually need service. A solid mount will never have these issues. RT

 

[Howard Keiper]

The Questus deviceis not the issue for me...it's been 100% functional for 10 yrs or so, mo maintenance or problems of any kind. But, as I said, there isn't any substitute for height. My current mount puts the radome about 12' off the surface of the water and that diminishes with heel; and the gimbal function can't do anything about it. A pole mount would not be any better, in my opinion.
Howard

 

[Gary Peterson]

Our radar is pole mounted on the stern. Simple, safe, and out of the way. Our 2 GPSs' and stereo antenna are on the radar mount also. Radar on the mast could be expensive if the mast is lost in a storm or some other accident.
IMHO

 

[Bob Robertson]

Hi,
We have always had our radar antennae mounted on the mast near the lower spreader.

Originally, that was the location that was recommended to us by someone whose opinion we valued. He pointed out a few boats in our marina that, in his opinion, had their antennae mounted either too high or too low. Too high impacted radar coverage closer to the boat and too low reduced the maximum range available.

We have always been happy with the coverage. We have upgraded our radar once in twenty years and kept the antennae on the mast.

We have since been made aware that the microwave emissions from radar are reported to be a potential risk to health and it is recommended that you not expose crew or nearby boaters to waves from your radar. It is recommended that you turn off the radar if someone goes forward on the deck or you are close by other boats. I'm guessing that the height of the antennae would have an impact, at least for people going forward on the deck.

We have two grandkids who sail with us a lot and I guess based on how active they are on the boat I'm good with the antennae being mounted relatively high on the mast.

Just my opinion and it could maybe be worth up to two cents.

It could hit 60 here on Monday. Spring is near. I can't wait!

Enjoy,
Bob

 

[Loren Beach]

I checked with the Furuno (US) website FAQ's on this, and it seems to validate what I have been told over the decades about small boat radar power/radiation.
"Stay at least 3' away from the beam and stay below the beam."
Caution is always a good idea, but these are a pulsed output device, the power is low, and the beam angle is narrow.

These are not the same sort of high power risk that the old system was on the DE I did a summer training cruise on, in the 60's. Big warning signs all around the approaches to the superstructure!


I have a model 1715 and have crewed on several boats with 1623 models. Admittedly I now find myself spending more time on the 'net and the EY site, but exposure to microwaves may or may not be a contributing factor.

Seriously, ours is several feet higher than head level of anyone standing in the cockpit. Here is a recent photo, albeit from a low angle while boat was in the slings last Sept.

LB

 

[Bob Robertson]

Hi Loren,
Here is some documentation from the current Radome installation manual. Furuno could very well be different. We have the 4D 24" 4 kW Radome Scanner.

Thanks,
Bob

Height: The scanner unit should normally be mounted as high as practical above the waterline, for three reasons:
• For safety reasons the scanner should be out of range of personnel, preferably above head height. This avoids electromagnetic contact, particularly with the eyes.
• Radar operates at the line-of-sight, so a high mounting position gives better long range performance.
• Surrounding large objects, in the same horizontal plane, can interfere with the radar signal and cause blind areas or shadow sectors and false targets on the radar screen (see below).
However, do not mount the scanner so high that it is affected by the pitching and rolling of the vessel. In addition, you may need to lower the scanner to avoid creating a shadow sector underneath the scanner’s beam.