On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 06:04:34 GMT, Evan Gatehouse
wrote:


I'm pondering where to place the radar on my catamaran. I'm building a
radar arch to support solar panels, and was thinking of mounting the
radar scanner under the panels to avoid shading them.

The only problem I have is that the arch will be build with carbon
fiber tubing (ex-windsurfer masts). Anybody know how much radar
blockage carbon tubes about 2" diameter, perhaps 6' from the scanner
might produce? Its a JRC 1500 with a 5.2° horizontal beam width.

Evan Gatehouse

Aluminum tube would be worst-case. 2 inch at 72 inch is under 2
degrees of aperture, and that might account for 2 dB of loss
of transmit power with a much greater hole in the return (there's a
fifth power in there...)

But carbon fiber is in an insulating matrix, and would account for
less of a loss. The location wouldf work for me.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK