2007 TestsĪ test conducted in March 2007 by defense research firm QinetiQ for the British Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) agency showed that the Echomax and West Marine Tri-Lens reflectors performed consistently well. This produces a reflective pattern with a very uniform range of operation with limited “nulls” or blind spots. Imagine a fun house mirror where you can stand in a wide variety of locations and still see your reflection. Luneberg lenses focus the radar energy to a reflective band or hemisphere inside the element, which is reflected back on a reciprocal bearing back to the source. This approach results in a somewhat ragged, but more uniform response over azimuth and altitude. The Echomax, and other multi element reflectors, attempt to smooth out these peaks and nulls by using a number of corner reflectors. Consider also that a ship’s radar antenna is mounted high above the surface, so you may be at a null angle even in calm water. Your boat appears and disappears, mimicking “surface clutter” or wave interference to a ship using radar, especially if you are oriented in a consistently “bad” direction relative to the other vessel. This causes the size of the radar target to vary as the RTE or the boat yaws and pitches in a seaway. In other words, slightly different orientations of the RTE cause dramatically different RCS. Without boring you (too late!), octahedral reflectors like the Davis Echomasters, the Blipper and the Echomax have characteristically strong peak reflections separated by zones or areas of very little reflection. There are two main types of passive reflector technologies in common use: the octahedral corner reflector and the Luneberg lens. Moral: buy the largest RTE you can, based on your budget, windage, weight, space available, and aesthetic judgment. For example: a reflector of twice the size of a similar but smaller model has a RCS that is 16-times larger. The RCS of a given reflector goes up by the fourth power of the radius, resulting in this dramatic increase in effectiveness. Look at how rapidly the RCS (Radar Cross Section) increases with size. Assume that you have three theoretical reflectors of the same design, but of different sizes. The effectiveness of an RTE is disproportionately related to its size. These light reflectors use small triangular-shaped prisms that bounce the light around and reflect it precisely back at its source. The best analogy we can think of is the reflective “dots” on many highways that make it so much easier to see where the lanes are. RTEs work by reflecting radar energy directly back to the radar antenna so that your boat appears to be a larger target. Radar Reflectors (more accurately called Radar Target Enhancers, or RTEs) reflect radar energy from other vessels’ radars so that your boat shows up as a larger and more consistent “target.” If you operate your boat in areas with shipping traffic or where fog and low visibility are common, the ability to be seen by radar-equipped ships can make the difference between being seen and being sunk. Davis Deluxe Echomaster Radar Reflector What Radar Reflectors Do
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