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Description:
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Radar
For Mariners is destined to be the standard reference on this important
and technical area of seamanship. Every year about 30,000 boaters spend
between USD1,000 to USD5,000 to purchase a small-boat radar set, and
they do so for good reason. A GPS receiver will show you where you are
on the chart, but it tells you nothing about what is actually out
there. Radar allows a boater to"see" landmasses, fixed objects, and
other boats in conditions of reduced visibility, such as fog and
darkness. The prime function of marine radar is collision avoidance. It
allows the boater to detect and track approaching vessels, and take
evasive action while there is still plenty of maneuvering room. Radar
is the only insurance policy against every boater's worst nightmare - a
large ship emerging from the fog on a collision course. But radar is
also a powerful navigation tool. An experienced user can easily
correlate the shape of the coastline on the chart with the radar
display and then measure the distance and direction to landmarks with
the press of a button. But it takes knowledge and skill to use a radar
set to the fullest. Because the radar display is a picture of reflected
energy (and not a perfect, bird's eye view), it is subject to a host of
distortions.
A radar set must be tuned to the current conditions, such
as rain or high seas, using a variety of controls. And
collision-avoidance scenarios involving two or more moving vessels
produce complicated relative-motion problems that must be solved
swiftly and with complete confidence. David Burch is the director of
the Starpath School of Navigation and has taught seamanship since 1977.
He is the developer of an interactive simulator program called"Radar
Trainer," the first PC software approved by the Coast Guard as a
training tool for its official radar endorsement. Now Burch has written
this complete, user-friendly guide to radar use that includes a CD
offering freeware plus interactive practice with the Starpath Radar
Trainer program. The CD also includes the full-function Radar Trainer
software in encrypted form, so that the reader can purchase it at a 15%
discount and without download hassels.
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