RichH wrote in message ...
Ive often wondered for those situations where the approaching vessel has
lost your boat's radar image in the sea state clutter and you have the
god awful intuition that they CANT see you ... that a flare shell filled
with the appropriate aluminum 'chaff' and sent skywards would be in
order. Just imagine being on the bridge of freighter when suddenly what
appears on the radar screen in front of you is the size of an aircraft
carrier... and to be repeated several times. THAT would certainly get
someone's attention. Even if the bridge were unattended, such an 'event'
would most certainly set off a few automatic alarms .... if indeed the
radar scope was even on on that bridge.
Just an exercise in 'mental masturbation' but perhaps relevant to this
discussion.

Perhaps a cheapa/simple radar emitting device that would give such a
false image could be another possibility.

Such a device already exists. A few years back, I asked Pains-Wessex
if such a device wouldn't help in SAR operations and their reply was
that they manufactured the equoivalent of a parachute flar, but woith
chaff. The only propblem was that, duue to its costs, the only market
was the military...
OTOH, before I left for a transatlantic cruise, I fastened a second
radar reflector ( s mall 9" HYE model) close to the masthead on the
starboard side of the mast whilst I had the DAvis "Echomnaster"
hanging from the starbord spreader. All the shiops I spoke to on VHF
said they had seem me at "beetter than 10 miles distance" and the
captain of a Hapag-Lloyd container ship with whom I had quite a chat
(he must have had a Philipino crew to be so happy to encounter
somedody who understood German...) told me "You have a very good echo,
not a ship's echo, mind you, but a very good one for such a small
boat.." When I returned from Europe, I had taken off the masthead
reflector that had been damaged, and the reports said that I was only
seen at around 6 miles. It gave me confidence that even if my radar
went on the blink, I still had a chance to be seen, IF somebody was
looking at the screen...
john