bject: Vessel detectors - radar visibility of your own vessel
From: "Jack Rye"
Date: 08/24/2003 07:22 Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: cS32b.52869$kP.35422@fed1read03

Just a thought. The persons is concerned with battery drain. Buy Two pairs
of binoculars 20x60 for day and bright night. Buy night vision 5x
magnification with an illuminator. For those pitch black nights. Junk all
other electronics and pray that a cargo or cruise ship doesn't run you down

Jack

"RichH" wrote in message
...
Ive often wondered for those situations where the approaching vessel has
lost your boat's radar image in the sea state clutter and you have the
god awful intuition that they CANT see you ... that a flare shell filled
with the appropriate aluminum 'chaff' and sent skywards would be in
order. Just imagine being on the bridge of freighter when suddenly what
appears on the radar screen in front of you is the size of an aircraft
carrier... and to be repeated several times. THAT would certainly get
someone's attention. Even if the bridge were unattended, such an 'event'
would most certainly set off a few automatic alarms .... if indeed the
radar scope was even on on that bridge.
Just an exercise in 'mental masturbation' but perhaps relevant to this
discussion.

Perhaps a cheapa/simple radar emitting device that would give such a
false image could be another possibility.



SG If these ships are so big and easily seen and well lit and a small boat is
maintaining a good helmwatch and obeying the rules ..... how does one get
themselves soo close to one that they get "run down" by the ship ...... kinda
like "I was driving down the road and this 80 story skyscraper reared up and
hit me!!"

If you are maintaining a good watch, you should see him LONG before he sees
you.
At sea, never approach a ship closer than 2 mi. if you have the room.