April 21 - Friday - Radar Working!

Friday was a productive day this week.  I started with my Garmin radar and chart plotter upgrade.  I installed the radar antenna (dome) some time ago, but the chart plotter requires a software update in order to integrate with the radar unit and display information on the screen.  

 Garmin Radar Antenna - Note the dust on the solar panels.  I have cleaned them twice so far...

The software upgrade was a few gigabytes, so I went over to the marina lounge to use their wifi for the download.  That went well.  Next, I expanded/extracted the update files, then transferred them to an SD card that the chart plotter can read.  I reviewed the directions, put the SD card in and started the update.  It takes a few minutes, so I made some coffee for the start of the day.  [They have pretty good coffee here.  I have been buying a Colombian brand at SAM's Club.]

The upgrade proceeded without a hitch (yes!) and I was in business.  I rebooted the plotter and sure enough, the radar came online just as promised.  Below is an image of the screen with the radar image overlayed on the navigation chart.  I am still working through the options, but it appears to be working as expected.

Pierless Nautical Chart and Radar Image

The radar "returns" show as red.  Most of the red objects are local buildings.  Pierless is shown in the middle where the little triangle is located.  I will need to spend some time going through the options that are available.  The main reason I wanted the radar is to use it to warn me of boats or other objects near me.  It can be set up to sound an alarm if another vessel is close or on a collision course.  This, along with my AIS transponder will provide a good measure of safety so I can get sleep on the way home.

I emptied the stern locker today too.  It holds mooring rope, stern anchor rode, a drogue, spare hose, a tarp and a handful of other items.  Some of the items are surplus or not needed, so I will try to unload them before I leave.  Others need to be better organized.  I also need access to this area to install the new bilge pump hose.  I hope to finish that tomorrow.

Stern Locker - A Tight Fit....

I finished the day with some more work on organizing lockers in the main cabin.  Getting close on this task!



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