Simrad 10kW 4' HD Open Array Radar with 20M Cable

This is Simrad's 10-kilowatt magnetron open-array radar in the 4-foot array configuration, sold as a complete unit with the pedestal, the 4-foot array, and the 20-meter signal cable in one package. The 10kW transmit power puts this radar in serious offshore territory: enough output to push the picture out past 72 nautical miles on the chartplotter and enough peak power to detect small targets at long range that lower-power radars wash out. The 4-foot array is the more compact of the open-array options, fitting boats where arch space won't accept a 6-foot array but the captain still wants meaningfully tighter beamwidth than a dome radar delivers.

The HD digital signal processing is what separates this radar from older Simrad magnetron units. The HD platform uses 10-bit digital sampling on the receive side, which preserves more shades of return strength in the picture and lets the chartplotter render gradients that older 4-bit or 6-bit radars would clip flat. In practice you see this most on small targets at the edge of detection range. A buoy at 4 nautical miles shows as a clean, distinct return rather than a barely-visible smudge against background noise. Bird flocks and small craft at longer range stay differentiated from rain returns and sea clutter. Combined with sensitivity time control (STC) that automatically rolls off gain at closer ranges to suppress sea clutter, the display stays usable in chop and weather without manual gain-riding.

Chart overlay is the headline operational feature when you pair the radar with a heading sensor on the Simrad chartplotter network. With heading data feeding the chartplotter, the radar picture is rotated to true north and overlaid directly on the chart, with radar returns aligning with charted coastlines, harbors, and aids to navigation. You see the radar echo at the same screen position as the charted hazard, which on a night entry or a fog approach reduces interpretation time dramatically. Without a heading sensor the radar still works in head-up mode, but chart overlay needs the heading reference. If you don't already have a heading sensor on the NMEA 2000 network, plan on adding one as part of the install.

Multiple color palettes let you adapt the display to lighting conditions. High-contrast palettes work for daylight reading on a flybridge. Softer palettes for night watches reduce eye strain. The HD platform's gradient handling means small returns stay differentiated from background even on the night palettes, which is one of the practical things you notice the first time you stand a night watch through a fog bank with this radar versus an older platform. The 24 and 48 RPM rotation gives you the standard offshore mode plus the high-speed collision-avoidance mode for fast-closing traffic.

One install note. The 20-meter signal cable in the package is the standard length for the run from a typical sportfish radar arch down through the boat to the helm. For larger boats with the radar mast further from the helm, a longer cable upgrade may be needed. The radar pedestal weighs around 70 pounds with the 4-foot array attached, so the install needs structural arch mounting and two people during the lift. Power input is 12V or 24V DC at standard magnetron radar current draw. Plan on a marine electronics installer for the wiring, the network configuration, and the heading sensor pairing if you don't already have one in place. The 4-foot HD platform networks with Simrad chartplotters through the Simrad network connection on the back of the pedestal.

One thing worth knowing about choosing a 10kW magnetron radar versus a modern solid-state pulse-compression radar. The HALO line is the current solid-state Simrad offering with Doppler target coloring (red for closing, green for receding), pulse-compression detection at extreme close range, and no warm-up cycle. The 10kW magnetron platform here has higher peak power on a single pulse, which is why it still has detection-range advantages on small targets at extreme distance. For offshore commercial operators, big-yacht cruisers, and anyone whose primary concern is detecting a small craft or weather front at 50-plus nautical miles, the 10kW magnetron is still the right tool. For shorter-range collision-avoidance work where Doppler coloring and instant warm-up matter more than peak power, the HALO domes and HALO open-arrays are usually the better fit. We can talk through the trade-off if you're deciding between the two for your boat.