FSH 252/255 Radar Project

[Zackdadams]

Here is a detailed walkhrough of the Radar installation on my FSH 252.
After recently being caught off guard by a severe storm while offshore, i've decided it's time to get a radar.

In case you are wondering, the boat now has 142" (11' 8") clearance on the trailer with the Radar Dome installed.

Part 1: The Radar Dome

The Simrad unit we have on our boat is the GO12 XSE.
According to Simrad, this is compatible with the Halo 20 and 20+ Radar domes.
I've decided to go with the Halo 20+, because of longer range, among other bells and whistles.

HALO20+ Radar | Simrad USA

Pulse compression radar with 20-inch dome antenna, 36nm range, 60 RPM operation and VelocityTrack.

www.simrad-yachting.com

I purchased mine from Hodges Marine.

Simrad Halo20+ 20" Radar Dome W/10m Cable

SIMRAD HALO20 20 RADAR DOME WITH 10M CABLEHALO20 20 Radar with 10M CableSee Far And Near With One Compact DomePerfect for a wide midsized to large sailboats, HALO20 comes in a compact 20inch dome antenna and delivers highquality short, mid an...

www.hodgesmarine.com

One of the biggest decisions about mounting your radar is how high it needs to be, and the angle.
Here is a great YouTube video from Simrad about mounting heights, setup, etc.

I'll be installing Simrad's recommended mount, the Scanstrut 6" PT2004.
There are other options, as well as angle wedges, but I believe this will be fine for my setup.

Scanstrut 6" Powertower For BR24 Dome | Radar | Simrad USA

The Scanstrut 6" Powertower For BR24 Dome. Find more industry leading Marine Radars and electronics here. Buy Online.

www.simrad-yachting.com

I also purchased this from Hodges Marine.

Scanstrut Pt2004 - Powertower Radar Mount - 6" Aft Leaning

SCANSTRUT POWERTOWER 6 COMP FOR RAYMARINE GARMIN DOMESBy elevating your antenna clear of obstructions, PowerTowerreg maximizes the performance of your radar. Manufactured using the best composite materials, PowerTower is moulded as a single 3...

www.hodgesmarine.com

Step 1: Mounting Radar to Scanstrut

The first thing to do is layout the template Simrad provides, on the Scanstrut.
I measured the mount, and drew accurate lines to find the center.
I centered up the template, and taped it down once I found the best location.


I then drilled 4x 3/8" holes per Simrad's instructions.
Note: The Scanstrut is fiberglass, so I ran my drill bit in reverse so as not to crack it.
I did have to end up hogging out the holes a little for the bolts to fit properly.



Afterwards, I flipped the dome upside down, installed the cable, and set the Scanstrut on top.
I coated each bolt with Loctite, and installed them.



Step 2: Mounting Radar to Boat

The next step is to choose a location on your T-Top roof.
I set the Radar on my roof, to get a feel for where it would work best.
I unscrewed the black plastic above the window, and using a bungie cord, hung my VHF equipment, so I wouldn't have to disconnect it.



I then pulled a tape measure from the rear of the T-Top to the inside of the opening, to see how far forward the radar could be mounted.
In my case, it was 60" from back of the T-Top towards the bow.
To find the center of the roof, I pulled a tape from the rod holder openings in the T-Top.
In my case it was 20-5/8" to the center from the rod holder opening.

I drew pencil lines to mark the center, and also marked the center of the Scanstrut.
(My anchor light was in the way, so I had to remove it.)



Once I liked the position, I marked and drilled 4x 3/8" holes in the roof.
Afterwards I drilled a 1/2" hole in the center for the cabling.



Next I ran the radar cabling through the Scanstrut.
The mount includes some cable glands, but I decided to use my own.
I linked to them on my VHF Radio installation.



The T-Top roof is only around 1/4" thick, so you'll need to install a backer material of some sort.
I had a nice piece of cedar that I used.
I had my helper hold the backer from below, while I marked all the holes from above.
Afterwards, we installed the bolts, nuts, and washers, using Loctite once again.



And it's mounted! Now on to wiring!

 

[Zackdadams]

Part 2: The Wiring

Step 1: Run Wire Down Pillar

Now this was not the easiest wiring job, as many have mentioned.
The access is through one of the pillars, and is a tough spot to get to.
You'll want to use the starboard pillar, as the port pillar is already full of wire.
I of course have all the fancy electrical tools, being an electrician, so I made use of my nylon fish tape.
You could use a standard metal fish tape, available at Home Depot or Lowes.
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-56331-Optimized-Housing/dp/B081TVR4N7



Step 2: Connect Radar To Simrad Unit

Next, you'll use the provided cable boot on the Ethernet to 5-Pin adapter.
Afterwards, carefully connect the yellow 5-pin to the back of the Simrad, and twist about a 1/4 turn.



Step 3: Power

Make Sure Your Batteries Are Off!
As you can see from the Yamaha manual, there are 2 unused switches for accessories.
I've decided to use switch 7 which is "Accessory Switch 1"
On the back of the switch, Yamaha has kindly left us a female spade plug adapter.
I ran a yellow #14 to this, and crimped on a spade male.
I then crimped this to the yellow wire from the radar.
This is the switched power wire.

I printed a label that says "Radar", and placed it on Acc1 switch.
I'm going to see if my dealer can possibly order a new one that actually says Radar.



Make Sure Your Batteries Are Off!
Next you'll want to run a red and black wire to the factory fuse panel.
I crimped these on to the red and black wires from the radar feed, using heat shrink connectors.
I crimped on fork connectors to each wire, then connected the black to the negative bus bar.
The red 12v+ I connected under the "Acc" fuse position.



Then I reassembled everything, and went to the software setup.

Final Step: Enable Radar On Simrad

You'll want to power up the system, and turn on Acc 1 switch.
Turn on the Simrad, then go into Settings/Advanced Settings.
Then Under the Features tab, click Radar to enable the option on your Simrad.
And you're done! Radar Installed.
I highly recommend you watch that YouTube video I linked above.
It goes in depth on how to use and setup the system.



One of the things I enabled were the blue LED lights.
I set them to medium brightness.
I figured they would look cool at night.

My anchor light, as I mentioned above, was in the way.
So I modified it by cutting it down to just a few inches, and reinstalled it for now.
I have a new 24" folding anchor light ordered, and will post that install later.

 

[Zackdadams]

Part 3: The Heading Sensor

Now in order to get Radar Overlay on your Simrad charts, you'll need a heading sensor.
This will allow the Simrad in conjunction with the Radar to give you much more accurate reading on the direction you are facing.
There are a few to choose from, and i've decided to go with the Precision-9 Compass.
I purchased this directly from Simrad, and it arrived in just 2 days.

Precision-9 Compass | Accessory | Simrad USA

The Precision-9 Compass. Find more industry leading Marine Accessories and electronics here. Buy Online.

www.simrad-yachting.com

Step 1: Choose A Location

The Precision-9 is a very sensitive instrument, and does not like magnetic interference.
Using a Magnetometer app on my phone, I tested various locations in the center console.
As you can see, up near my Simrad, Radio, and Connext, there is much higher magnetic interference.
However, near the bottom "bench" there is very little, only 48 nanotesla's. So I decided to mount it there.
This also works out pretty good because the Precision-9 likes to be mounted dead center of the boat.



Step 2: Mount the Compass

The Precision-9 comes with a wall mount bracket, but can also be surface mounted.
Using the supplied template, I first removed the bench, and measured for center.
In my case it was 19-3/8" from the sides of the bench.
Afterwards, I taped the template down about 2" from the rear of the bench.
I drilled 2x 1/4" holes for the bolts, and a 1" hole for the NMEA 2000 plug.



I then used 2x 3" #6 stainless bolts with nuts and washers, and mounted it to the bench.



Finally I connected the provided NMEA 2000 cable to the Precision-9, and my NMEA 2000 network.
I reassembled the bench. The Precision-9 is barely visible.



Going into the Simrad, Settings/Network/Devices, you can see the Precision-9 online.
Clicking on the Precision-9 on this screen, will allow you to calibrate the sensor.
This needs to be done on the water, and i'll be doing that soon.



Now that the Precision-9 is installed, I now have Radar Overlay on my charts!
My Simrad is also much more accurate with my direction and heading.

 

[MilesPrower]

As I was configuring the radar I was trying to get the radar overlay on my chart and I kept getting an error message.
I contacted simrad support and after a two and a half hour wait I got a high level tech who informed me that I need a precision compass tied into the radar for those overlays!

So I guess I'll be buying another $750 part and installing it soon.

Precision-9 Compass | Accessory | Simrad USA

The Precision-9 Compass. Find more industry leading Marine Accessories and electronics here. Buy Online.

www.simrad-yachting.com

The Simrad HS60 GPS compass/heading/rate sensor is also an option to consider. That's what I installed on my 255 FSH. The advantage of a GPS sensor like the HS60 (vs a fluxgate sensor like the Precision-9) is that you can mount the GPS sensor pretty much anywhere with decent coverage of the sky. The Precision-9, on the other hand, has to be mounted centerline and waterline — away from electronic/magnetic devices and wiring. Unfortunately, on our boats, the center/waterline is below the helm closet, which is full of electronic/magnetic thingies, including wiring for the trolling motor, if you have your batteries down there.

The disadvantage of the HS60 is that you have to wire NMEA 2000 to the hardtop, if you decide to mount the HS60 up there. When I rigged my boat, I ran NMEA 2K, ethernet, and 12V to my hardtop all at once, inside a single wire loom, knowing I'd be installing the HS60, radar, and an AIS Class B+ radio/transponder up there.

I paid $764 for my HS60 from Hodges Marine last year, using one of their online coupons — not much more than what the Precision-9 goes for.

 

[Zackdadams]

I've already order the Precision-9, so i'll attempt that.
But that's great info. The HS-60 is currently $850 at Hodges.

 

[MilesPrower]

I've already order the Precision-9, so i'll attempt that.
But that's great info. The HS-60 is currently $850 at Hodges.

It might take some trial & error, but I'm sure you'll get the Precision-9 working great after you figure out its optimal location in the closet.

In addition to giving you radar-overlay capability, a heading/rate sensor will open up all sorts of Autopilot functions. For example, if you have your Motorguide trolling motor networked, you can set up your Simrad to read and control the "rudder" position of the Motorguide, alongside heading & turn-rate from the Precision-9. Once that's all configured, you'll be able to draw a path on the Simrad chart for the boat to follow, or set up a simple heading-lock, or even just touch a point on your sidescan image and have the trolling motor take you in a straight line (vs. an oscillating path) to the location that corresponds to that point in the image. Also, for trolling, you can use your jets (pointing straight back) to move the boat, while the Motorguide acts like a bow-mounted side-thruster to steer the boat along whatever path you draw out on your Simrad.

 

[Zackdadams]

Post updated with newly added Precision-9 Compass.

 

[Roger Vrooman]

Great thread, thanks for posting!!!

 

[Loveair]

This is a great thread. I’m receiving my 255 sport E in a couple of week. I was going with the Halo 20+. But hadn’t even considered the precision 9 thing. Or the HS60. Good stuff!