For this reason reflectors are sometimes installed in gambelled assemblies. Orientation of a radar reflector is particularly tricky in a sailboat because it tends to lean while underway. A great deal of research has been done on this and some positions are definitely better than others. Since reflection depends on a plate being at the right angle to reflect a radar signal, it makes sense that the orientation of the reflector matters. In order to improve the odds of sending a useable echo back, making the reflector as large as possible is always an advantage. The reflected radar echo is always much smaller than the transmitted signal. Here is a link to Echomax who produces a radar target enhancer. This greatly increases the chances of being seen. When a radar signal is received, it is electronically enhanced and amplified and sent back. By the time the receiving ship gets the signal it can be very weak. Radar reflectors passively reflect received signals without any enhancement. What are Radar Enhancers?Ī more effective way of appearing on radar is using a RTE, Radar Target Enhancer. By placing several reflective planes at different angles the likelyhood of reflection is improved significantly.Īnyone who has played with a mirror in sunlight knows that the angle of the mirror has to be just right to reflect the sunlight.īy orienting the reflecting plates at an angle to each other the chances of reflections are also increased. There are several types of Radar Reflectors such as passive and active reflectors Passive Radar Reflectorsīy creating a number of flat reflecting planes a radar reflector hopes to offer a few well oriented plates to the pulse in order to send the maximum possible echo back to the radar transmitter. In small watercraft any reflective structures such as motors tend to be low or even below the waterline making it harder to 'see' with the radar. Flat metal plates can be effective radar reflectors if they are in the right orientation, if not then the reflected pulse can miss the radar antenna and not be detected at all. This means that a mast even though it is quite large does not act as a good reflector. That's why stealth bombers have funny rounded shapes. The shape of the object also has an effect on its ability to reflect a signal back to the radar. Large metal structures such as ships and buoys are good radar reflector but small crafts made from wood or fiberglass are notoriously poor radar reflectors and are often mostly invisible to radar. There can be noise and interference to complicate the interpretation of the echo. The reflected pulse is much smaller than the original. Radar works by sending out a radio pulse and listening for the echo of the pulse which gets bounced off objects in the area. Many radar frequencies are not affected much by rain so radar is very useful in rainy weather. It is particularly useful in foggy conditions or at night when visibility is reduced. Radar is used to detect obstacles and other ships when navigating.

Radar reflector use