Radar Mast

[Marshall Mahoney]

I would like to mount a radar on a mast that I can easily remove or lay down when I put the boat on a trailer (a few times a year). Do any of you have radars mounted on a pole? Or an arch on hinges that can fold down? Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Marshall

[Tony Meola]

http://www.lightningshack.com/pdf/mast/mast.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is a link to Mike Dolan's Lightning Shack. I think this mast might fold down. I could not find the old posts.

[Keith Poe]

[Carl]

Keith,
Radar waves are a form of radiation...although low dose in small radar arrays.

Problem is you can be sitting behind that array for hours at a clip on each trip getting shot with a dose each time that array comes around...it can't be good for you.

Don't take my word for it, look at your manual, dealer or some online research. My technician friend is the one who drilled it into my head...but then he usually deals with the Ferry, Tug and Ship arrays...but same principle.

[Bertramp]

I've heard the same thing about mounting radars right in front of where you sit ....... result is "nuclear nuts" !!

[Rawleigh]

It is a nut warmer for those cold days chasing Stripers!!

[bob lico]

What seems like a 100 years ago I was taking special training in Texas as a army warior. We were in a canvas covered Duce and half sitting on the side of the road waiting for the signal to proceed into bad lands. I felt my back getting real warm and a few others got the same symptoms .we bailed out of the back of truck and found a air defense ,illuminator radar pointed right at truck at least 50' away we were being microwave by some in attentive trooper. I will never forget that incident, lesson learnd the hard way never have a working radar pointed at you!

[Navatech]

Back when I was doing my time in the Israeli navy (grease monkey on fast attack boats) the standing joke was that CO's were having only baby girls (what with standing for hours in between various antennas - radio, search as well as fire control radars).

Also, if you'll bother to read the installation manual of any radar array you'll note that they all state that the installation has to be as high up as you can go. And that's not just for range either!

If I were the owner of that Berty in the picture above I'd reinstall that radar array ASAP. Even though I already have two boys and two girls...

[Peter]

I had a removable radar mast on my 26 when I bought it. It was set onto the main deck at the back of the fly bridge and extended up well above head level when standing on the bridge. Under the main deck there was a backing plate to accept through bolts from base flange of the radar mast. This plate would fall into the bilge and be a general PITA whenever you lowered the mast. I changed that so that he plate was mounted permanently under the deck in the right spot with flat head counter sunk machine screws. Then the mast through bolted to the plate, so those screws were only there to hold the weight of the plate when the mast wasn't up.

It was about a 4" dia aluminum pole.
It also mounted a flood light that could iluminate the cockpit at night.

It worked pretty well and was not hard to set up or take down the few times a year to move the boat. What it did have i ssues with was that it vibrated a lot as teh boat worked in teh seas. For that reason it had another attachment brace that ran forward from about the 3/4 mast height or so to a point to sableize it. It also seemed to like having another large hose clamp attached from it to the bridge ladder hand rail just to firm it up.
It worked fine, but it wasn't 100% ideal.

I took it off the boat because I never used the radar, not because it didn't work well for its purpose. The cable to the radar head unit was extra long with the excess tucked into a spot on the side of the fly bridge when the thing was up, but long enough length to leave the head connected when you lowered the mast.

If I had a clean sheet to start the design I'd prefer to go with something more like a support for a T top where you could mount several anttenas, anchhor lights etc. As long as you are going to stick something up in the air like that you might as well give yourself enough real estate to do whatever you may want to with it.

[Marshall Mahoney]

Thanks for the replies and the advice. Now if I could just come off of my check book...

[Keith Poe]

I'm not sure what who ever mounted the antenna there was thinking but there is no monitor and it's days are numbered.


One of my installations

[Peter]

here is a link to another Bert 26 page where the boat was fitted with a folding radar arch. The owner, Chiles, is known to check in here on occasion so you can probably find contact information for him if you wish to talk with him.
Follow the "restoration" link for pics of the arch both raised and lowered.
IMHO this setup looks good on the 26 but in its exact form would not look right on a 31. Its a proportion thing. But the concept is good and perhaps could be adapted.

http://ccridlin.home.mindspring.com

Peter

[mike ohlstein]

Chiles has no time for boats any more. He's on the competitive cooking circuit. He's Mr. Brunswick Stew......

[coolair]

i have Mike Dolans Mast. I was going to use it, but probably going a different route . Donation to site and you can have it, as long as its Ok with Mike.

As it is, it does not fold down. But think it would be easly modified