Raymarine e7D, Installation And Operation Handbook, Page: 133 / 270

12.8 Radar adjustments: HD and SuperHD digital scanners
You can use the gain presets and other functions to improve the quality of the radar picture.
The following settings are available from the Radar menu and apply
to HD radomes, HD and SuperHD digital open array scanners:
Menu Item Description Options
Auto Gain Mode The digital radar gain presets enable you to quickly
select pre-configured settings to achieve the best
picture in different situations. Raymarine strongly
recommends the use of these presets to achieve
optimum results. • Buoy — a special mode that enhances the
detection of small objects like mooring buoys. It is
useful at ranges up to 0.75 nm.
• Harbor — this is the default mode. This setting
takes account of land clutter so that smaller
targets, like navigation buoys, are not lost.
• Coastal — accounts for the slightly higher levels
of sea clutter you might encounter out of harbor
and adjusts the radar display accordingly.
• Offshore — automatically adjusts for high levels
of sea clutter.
• Bird Mode — a special mode that helps you to
identify flocks of birds, useful when identifying
suitable fishing locations, for example.
Note: Bird Mode requires a SuperHD open
array with software version 3.23 or above or
an HD digital radome.
Rain
The radar scanner detects echoes from rain or
snow. These echoes appear on screen as countless
small echoes continuously changing size, intensity
and position. Turning the rain clutter function On
suppresses the bulk effect of rain returns from around
your vessel, making it easier to recognize other
objects. You can adjust the intensity of this setting
between 0 and 100%. • On — enables the Rain function and allows you to
adjust the setting between 0 and 100%.
• Off — disables the Rain function. This is the
default.
Adjust Gain Each of the gain presets can be manually adjusted
using gain, color gain and sea clutter functions. • Gain — enables you to use a preset in automatic
mode, or to adjust its gain manually between 0
and 100%.
• Color Gain — adjusts the intensity (color) of
displayed targets, but does not affect the number
of targets displayed. Increasing the color gain
causes more targets to be displayed in the same
color, which may help you to determine whether
an object is an actual target, or just background
noise. Reducing the color gain may provide better
target detail and detection.
• Sea — radar echoes from waves around your
vessel can clutter the center of the radar picture,
making it difficult to detect real targets. Adjusting
the sea gain reduces this clutter for up to 5 nautical
miles (depending on wave and sea conditions)
from your vessel.
• SuperHD Controls — for SuperHD scanners only:
– Antenna Boost: scales the effective antenna
size. At zero, the effective antenna size
matches its actual size. At 95%, the effective
antenna size is doubled. Increasing the effective
antenna size separates targets that appear
merged at lower settings.
– Power Boost: adjusts effective transmit power.
At zero, the radar operates at its standard power
(4 kW or 12 kW). At 90, the effective power is
increased by a factor of at least two. Increasing
the power makes targets more distinct from
noise. For maximum benefit, reduce power
boost to prevent saturation of strong targets.
Selecting radar gain presets
These presets require a HD digital or SuperHD radar scanner. Bird
mode requires a SuperHD digital open array scanner with software
version 3.23 or above or an HD digital radome.
From the radar application:
1. Select
Menu .
2. Select Auto Gain Mode .
3. Select Buoy, Harbor, Costal, Offshore, or Bird as appropriate.
The option is ticked and the display changes to reflect the new
mode.
Using radar
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