Raymarine Cyclone 55W Solid-State Open-Array Radar Pedestal

The Cyclone 55W pedestal is Raymarine's solid-state Doppler open-array radar pedestal, the base model in the Cyclone line. It's sold without antenna so the owner can spec the 3-foot, 4-foot, or 6-foot open-array that fits their installation. For owners stepping up from a Quantum or Quantum 2 dome, or migrating from an older magnetron radar, the Cyclone 55W brings commercial-grade solid-state radar performance to the recreational Raymarine ecosystem.

Solid-state CHIRP pulse compression is the defining technology. The 55-watt transmitter doesn't seem like a lot of power compared with a magnetron radar's kilowatt-class output, but the CHIRP pulse-compression architecture packs vastly more energy into the radar's effective signal than peak power alone suggests. The result is detection performance equivalent to a 6 kW magnetron radar at the same range, with substantially cleaner close-in returns, no warm-up period, and no long-term power degradation as the magnetron ages.

Range is up to 72 nautical miles instrumented, with practical detection of recreational targets, weather cells, and shoreline features well within that envelope. Close-in detection benefits most from the pulse-compression architecture because the transmitted pulse can be much shorter in duration than a magnetron's, eliminating the main-bang clutter that fills the inner ring of a magnetron radar's display.

RangeFusion is the dual-range processing technology that lets the radar transmit and process at two ranges simultaneously, then fuses the two pictures into a single display that shows both close-in collision-avoidance detail and long-range traffic and weather awareness in one view. Most dual-range radars switch between two pictures (left half short, right half long) which means the operator has to mentally combine them. RangeFusion does that combination in the signal processor and presents a single unified picture, which is faster to read and easier to act on.

Cyclone Bird Mode is the angler-targeted feature. One-tap selection from the chartplotter switches the radar's signal processing to highlight flocks of feeding seabirds, which sport-fishermen use to locate bait schools at distance. The Cyclone Bird Mode is tuned specifically for the radar's pulse-compression characteristics, which makes it more sensitive to small, low-altitude bird returns than the equivalent feature on older Raymarine magnetron radars.

High-speed 60 rpm imaging is the rotation rate at close ranges. Where a typical recreational radar spins at 24 rpm (one full rotation every 2.5 seconds), the Cyclone speeds to 60 rpm (one full rotation every second) at close ranges. That faster update rate is the difference between watching a fast-moving target in slow motion (24 rpm) and watching it in something approximating real time (60 rpm), which matters most when you're in close quarters with high-speed traffic. At longer ranges where the antenna is dwelling longer per pixel for better range detection, the rotation slows back to 24 rpm.

ARPA target tracking handles up to 50 simultaneous targets, with Doppler-enhanced velocity data on each. Hazardous targets (closing range too quickly given the closest-point-of-approach) display in a visual alert color, so your attention is pulled to the targets that matter most. Doppler-enhancement on the velocity data means the ARPA tracker reacts to changes in target speed within a sweep or two rather than requiring multiple sweeps to establish a track, which is the latency that defines older non-Doppler ARPA implementations.

Chartplotter integration is RayNet Ethernet exclusive, and works with the Raymarine Axiom (original), Axiom+, Axiom Pro, Axiom XL, and Axiom 2 (Axiom 2 XL, Axiom 2 Pro) displays. The Cyclone needs LightHouse 3.16 or newer firmware on the chartplotter. Network integration is plug-and-play through the standard RayNet connector.

Power. The pedestal accepts 12V or 24V DC nominal (tolerant of 10.2 to 31.2V), draws 70W typical in transmit, peaks at 170W in heavy operation, and idles at 28W in standby. The lower standby draw is the meaningful spec for owners who keep the radar powered through the day, the 28W draw is comparable to a single LED cabin light.

Physical. The pedestal is 388 by 360 by 335 mm (15.27 by 14.17 by 13.18 in), weighs 16 kg (35 lb) without antenna. IPX6 ingress rating, operating temperature -25 C to +55 C, 100-knot wind rating (with antenna installed). Mounts on the standard Raymarine radar arch or radar mast platform.

What's in the box: the Cyclone 55W pedestal. Antenna (the 3-foot Cyclone 3, 4-foot Cyclone 4, or 6-foot Cyclone 6), cabling, and any mounting accessories needed for the radar arch are all sold separately.