Locating an SCX20

danderer

Furuno Fan
I'm laying out a new Furuno installation - some MFDs, AP, radar, etc. An important piece of this to me is an SCX20. Finding space for it is a problem, maybe. I've studied the separation distances in the manual.

My first choice would be to mount it on the pilothouse roof - there it would have a clear view of the sky and be well clear of any other antennas. Unfortunately it would fall just within the vertical beam width of the DRS4D-NXT. The SCX20 would be 5m from the radar.

Second choice would be on a pole, next to the radar but above its beam. However that would place the SCX20 about 2' from a VHF antenna. I do have a couple of non-Furuno GPSs mounted there currently that don't seem to have a problem but... the SCX20 manual does specify a minimum of 1M here.

Third and last choice would be to move my VHF antennas off the arch entirely, reconfigure the other electronics on the arch, etc. Urgh.

Thoughts on how likely it is that choice 1 or 2 would be satisfactory?

Thanks.
 
Sometimes you make the best of the worst choices. Can you go on the pilot house roof closer to the radar so that you get under the beam? Do you have any photos of the full boat with the current layout?
 
*chuckle* Yup, life is always compromises.

Here are a few pics indicating where I was thinking the mounting possibilities were. Moving it aft on the PH roof might work (would the sky view be too constrained by the imini?), but (of course) the access to that area is more difficult from underneath than if I mounted it further forward.

I just went back and measured more carefully. Putting it forward on the PH is 19 deg from the radar; aft on the PH is 24 - and the vertical beam width is 25 deg. So either "should" work, right? How critical a dimension is this?

Thanks again.

7037989_20190408161439764_1_XLARGE.jpeg7037989_20190408161458143_1_XLARGE.jpegIMG_0718.jpeg
 
The aft is too built up, so fwd PH is the better area. Where you have marked is seem a bit forward to where I would recommend. If you can put it between those to window hatches on the top, that would really look good and would pull it down below the radar beam better. I think there would be safely under the beam and a great looking location.
 
Thanks all.

The 19 degree location is just forward of and between the hatches and is my preferred spot (the red arrow was a bit too far forward). I will mock it up first and hope/expect the 19 degree location will work under the 12.5 degree beam.

How can I verify this when testing the mock up? Check the satellite display on the MFD? Or is there a better place to compare radar on vs radar off?
 
Yes, I would test the HDP showing up on the SAT monitor screen and then run the radar and test the HDP again and ensure the HDP is not increasing with the radar running. From the side view, I think that is a perfect location and below the beam.
 
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