Traditional radar units required lots of room due to their size and were priced out of reach of the average outboard budget. Since the invention of “Black Box” and various network technologies, the market has exploded and the units are not only smaller, they’re more affordable. Subsequently, many more blue-collar boaters are in the market for these devices. If you’re one of those who gets dizzy leafing through spec-sheets and re-reading articles to find out what features you need to find birds, here are a few ideas.

The two most important factors are sufficient power output and a narrow horizontal beam width. The standard by which all others were measured when this technique was in its infancy was the Furuno 1942. After lots of trial and error this unit seemed to do the job smartly and the 6kW output and 1.9-degree beam width became the default setup for “any condition” effectiveness. When I say any condition I mean despite the limiting factors that prevent lower-powered units from being effective, such as rough seas and rain. If the boat is rocking and rolling, radar can pick up clutter from the signal reading the tops of the waves. The narrow, more focused beam angle will cut down on this clutter while not tuning out real targets above the horizon. Likewise, the more powerful output will tune out and cut through the rain while still showing you the real returns you’re looking for, the birds.

If you want an optimal radar setup on your outboard or smaller inboard boat, you’ll need to have it professionally installed in a location as high as possible for maximum effectiveness. The formula for figuring the readable distance from your antenna to the horizon is 1.2 times the square root of your antenna’s height. In other words, if your antenna is 15 feet off the water it will read the horizon out to 4.65 nautical miles at sea level. At 10 feet high it will read out to 3.79 nm, at five feet only 2.68 nm. Of course, when you are looking for birds they will be above the horizon. When birds are actively feeding over working fish, they will generally fly lower than 30 feet off the water. The “distance readable” figures for the same antenna locations are 11.22 nm with the targets being 30 feet high at a 15-foot antenna height, 10.37 nm at a 10-foot antenna height and 9.26 nm at five feet. Height, then, is a clear advantage when you want to reach out greater distances as well as eliminate some of the surface clutter from a rocking boat. Installing a good unit to accomplish this task will enable you to find birds under most conditions out to roughly six miles.

Given these needs, what’s out there on the market and how much can you expect to lay out for this luxury? If it’s a 48-mile range, 6 kW unit with less than a 2-degree horizontal beam width, it will be an open array antenna and you have several options. The cost of these units varies a bit. Some are designed as add-ons to an existing networked system, while others come separate as a radar only. Expect to pay between $5,000 and $9,000 for radar if you are integrating with a network system. For a stand-alone unit, you will pay from $3,400 to $4,700. Here is a sampling of radar systems that will get the job done nicely.

Northstar radar, integrated into plotter.

Northstar offers a radar unit with 64 nm range, 6 kW output and 1.8-degree horizontal beam width. It has a 52-inch open array antenna and uses the company’s N2 networking technology to work in conjunction with the new 6000i GPS/plotter/sounder. Cost of the radar portion of this setup is $6,995. Other options are available, up to 25kW.

Furuno offers the NavNet unit in a radar/GPS/plotter combo, the 1943c, which features 64 nm range, 48-inch open array antenna, 6 kW output and 1.85-degree horizontal beam width for $6,678.

Simrad NT networking technology answers with the CR44 radar/GPS/ plotter combo. It, too, features a 64 nm range, 6 kW output, 48-inch open array antenna and a 1.8-degree horizontal beam width for $8,975, with the WAAS GPS receiver.

Raymarine offers the 9S radar add-on to work with the HSB2 network. The 9S sports a 72 nm range as well as 10 kW output, a 52-inch open array antenna and a 1.8-degree horizontal beam width for $5,298.

JRC stand-alone display unit.

If it’s a stand alone radar you plan to add to your existing setup, you can still buy the original CRT models including the old stand-by Furuno 1942 MK-II with 64 nm range, 6 kW output, 48-inch array and 1.9-degree beam width for $4,689.

JRC Stand-alone radar unit.

JRC offers the 2344, with 64 nm range, 6 kW output, 48-inch array and 2-degree beam width for $3,398.

So you’re thinking you want to step up to the plate and add a bona fide “bird finder” radar unit to your rig? For years now, offshore big boys have been utilizing high-powered radar to locate working birds and the gamefish that follow them, most notably yellowfin tuna. More recently, the trend has been in outboard powered boats cruising farther and faster looking for the same results.

And finally Si-Tex features the T-295, with a 48 nm range, 4 kW output, 54-inch array and 1.7-degree beam width. While not as powerful as the rest, this unit does feature the right antenna and beam to get the job done for $3,699.