Radar Interpretation

Reading and interpreting the radar display takes practice. The more you use the radar, the better you will become at relying on the radar display when you really need it.

Radar can be useful in many situations, such as avoiding collisions when you have limited visibility, for example when it is dark or foggy, tracking weather, seeing what is ahead of you, and locating birds and fish.

The radar overlay feature can help you interpret the radar display more easily, because it overlays the radar returns on top of the chart. This can help you identify the difference between a radar return of a land mass, bridge, or rain cloud. Showing the AIS vessels on the radar overlay can also help you identify features on the radar display.

In the screenshot below, the radar overlay is turned on. This screen also shows a video feed. We can easily identify a few items on the radar screen.


Radar screen with callouts

Callout number 1

Land

Callout number 2

Vessel

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March 2024