Ok I feel a "Story" coming on..... Years ago when I worked for Northern
Radio Company in Seattle, WA as a Field Tech, they picked up the Furuno
Radar Line, and sold the first KRA124 in the country. I was the Install
Tech, and we put it on a "Big Time Pleasure Cruiser" floating in Lake
Union. Antenna unit was 9Kw (2J42 Magnitron) with a 3 Ft Slotline,
Endfeed Antenna, and a Linear IF Strip. When we were out on Sea Trials,
setting the Heading Flash, and Tx Pulse Delay, the skipper noticed a
bunch of target returns about 1.25 miles off the bow. He looked out with
some Binocs and couldn't see anything that looked like a Radar Reflector,
so he asks what those targets were. I took the binocs, and scanned the
area, where the targets were on the scope and there were a small flock
of seagulls, sitting on the water. "Seagulls" says I. He said "BS" and
I looked again, and said "Wana Bet?" He says "Sure, how much can you
afford?" "Lunch at the Latitude 48 would be nice", says I, and we had a
bet. Just then, a SuperCub on floats was taxiing out from Kutzner Air
Service and headed for the Seagulls, so I told him to watch the scope,
and as soon as the floatplane got close to the birds, they would fly
off, and all the targets would be gone. Sure enough, the SeaGulls flew
off, the floatplane took-off, but the Skipper says "There is still a
target there". I look in the scope and sure enough there is still one
target in that spot. So I says, "There is something there, but it is to
small to see at this distance." He says, "BS, but we will go over there
and take a look". So we cruise on over and sure enough, there is a
styrofoam coffee cup floating in that location. He has the Deckhand fish
it out of the water and we head on back to the dock. Sure enough, "No
More Targets in that part of the lake. I got my lunch, the Skipper got a
Great Radar, and we both have a Great Story to tell for the rest of time.

Nothing like 9Kw of XBand RF with a Good Slotline Antenna to pick up
small stuff on flat water. These 4Kw T/R Pans just don't have the
poop, even with the new LogRythemic Receivers, and MMIC's for Frontends.
All it takes is Power, and a decent antenna, which are in short supply
on most non-commercial and Pleasure Craft type Radars these days. That
same 9Kw T/R with a 6Ft antenna was the basis of the KRA-448 Furuno
Radar that was a 48 Mile that could see out to 72 miles if you pushed
it. Mountains that are 6000 ft tall show up real well, at 72 miles.

Bruce in alaska

I just knew that I would be "topped" if Bruce ever came onto this
thread. I think I might have worked on that first KRA124 of yours. There
weren't too many of them around here. The one that gave me more grief than
any I ever worked on was one on a well-to-do fisherman's yacht/halibut boat.
There were some strange diodes in the klystron tune regulated voltage source
that were no longer available (this in about maybe 1978). Dumb thing would
drift out of front panel tuning range periodically. Could bring it right
back with chassis pot, of course, but owner frowned on that and I never did
get paid! Don't blame him a bit.
We (Whatcom Marine/ Nordic Marine/ Anacortes Marine) took the
Washington State Ferries contract for a few years, and there were a few
KRA-448's that Northern had installed earlier. Super seagull radar with the
6ft scanner, but with the shorter scanner and all that power, it made nearby
ships real scary! Sort of wrapped around you! I think it was Northern that
put the 72 mile switch position modification on a couple. Only long targets
around here were from out in Rosario Straits looking north up into Canada.
Saw stuff to 62 or 63 miles if there wasn't any rain in the way.
AIS sure sounds great, but there is no substitute for radar (not
talking about the 3ft or less PCB antenna types). Some of the newer video
processing that cleans up sea clutter just has to be seen to be believed.
But I digress. Again.
Old Chief Lynn