Radar Training Software Overview

There are two main radar products: the Radar Training Simulator and Radar Plotting Tutorial, plus a ‘TutorPlus’ bargain pack which offers the benefits of both products at a discounted price.

The Radar Simulator acts exactly like a real marine radar set, except that the environment can be fully controlled. The user selects the type of radar set, and all the standard set-up options are provided, giving control over brilliance, gain, tuning and sea clutter and rain clutter. Each of the common functions, such as range, head-up or north-up, EBL, VRM and alarm zones, is either given its own control buttons, or follows the modern practice of using menus and soft-keys for function selection.

In addition to providing a complete radar set, the program also gives complete control of your own vessel via rudder and throttle. There are pre-set exercises built into the software, but a versatile programming facility allows anyone to create a virtually unlimited range of situations in a few moments: these can be saved and used over and over. The Radar Training Simulator provides more practice in radar plotting, collision avoidance and coastal navigation than could be gained in many months of sea time.

The LightMaster Radar Simulator is the basis of most small-craft radar courses in RYA sea schools and colleges throughout the UK. It is also used by Police, Coastguards and the Military.

The Radar Plotting Tutor explains, step-by-step, the importance of monitoring the movement of contacts on your radar screen; the difficulties imposed by relative motion in making the observations; the controls, methods and limits of accuracy in measuring target movements.

The program then demonstrates plotting and analysis techniques. Multiple animations and interactive exercises bring the process to life.

Simplified radar screens are used throughout the Tutor – it is ideally teamed with the Simulator to give comprehensive and realistic practice.

Radar TutorPlus

The Tutor and the Simulator are each very effective aids to learning effective use of your radar equipment. Together they provide an even better training experience, with step-by-step guidance of the Tutor and unlimited practice with the Simulator, so LightMaster make the two programs available on one CD, with a substantial saving over the individual prices.

The combined CD is called the Radar TutorPlus and is the most popular of our marine radar training CDs.