Garmin 12kW xHD2 Open Array Radar Pedestal with Cable

This is the 12kW pedestal in Garmin's xHD2 open-array lineup. It's specifically the base unit, sold without the antenna so you can pair it with whichever array length fits your boat's superstructure. The 4-foot array gets you a 2.5-degree horizontal beamwidth and a tighter installation footprint, the 6-foot array narrows that to 1.8 degrees for better target separation at long range, and both feed the same 12kW magnetron sitting inside this pedestal. At 47.1 pounds, 20.5 inches wide, 12.75 inches tall, and 12.5 inches deep, the pedestal expects a flat mounting surface with the structural backing to take both the static weight and the dynamic load of a spinning array offshore.

Range tops out at 72 nautical miles when paired with the 6-foot array, which is the spec that matters for offshore operators running canyon rips, coastal commercial work, or anywhere you want the earliest possible warning on a squall line. The 24 and 48 RPM rotation rates let you choose between standard sweep speed for general use and a high-speed mode for collision-avoidance situations where the picture needs to refresh faster than the boat is closing on a target. Garmin's 8-bit true color processing on the pedestal end is what feeds the chartplotter a sharper image than the 4-bit or 6-bit returns you'd get out of an older xHD platform.

The features list is meaningfully deeper than a marketing breakdown suggests. Bird Mode lifts the gain and tunes the echo filter to surface flocks of feeding birds, which on a tuna boat is shorthand for finding bait schools and the predators under them. Echo Trails leaves digital tracks on moving targets so you can read course and closing speed at a glance, which beats reading the data box on the chartplotter when both hands are on the wheel. Dual Range splits the antenna output to show two range scales on the chartplotter at once, so you can run a quarter-mile harbor-entry view next to a 12-mile traffic view without flipping between them. Dual Radar Support lets you network two pedestals on the same vessel for redundancy, which matters on long-range commercial operations where a single point of failure isn't an option.

Target tracking is MARPA-based with capacity for 10 simultaneous tracks, which requires a heading sensor on the same NMEA 2000 network. Guard Zones let you draw a watch perimeter around the boat and get an alarm when anything crosses into it, which is how most operators run their radar at anchor overnight or while underway in a fog bank. VRM and EBL on-screen markers let you eyeball range and bearing to a target without leaving the radar page. Dynamic Auto Gain and Dynamic Sea Filter adjust sensitivity in real time based on what the antenna is seeing, so you're not constantly riding the gain knob as the boat moves from a flat-calm bay into a chop.

Power input is 10 to 32 volts DC at 90 watts typical, which means it'll sit on either a 12V or 24V house bank without an external converter. Wire it through the Garmin Marine Network with the included cable. The pedestal is one of three pieces you need to make a complete radar system. The antenna is sold separately and you choose 4-foot or 6-foot based on the room you have on the radar arch and the range you want. Pair the pedestal and antenna with any compatible Garmin chartplotter, and the system is ready to install. The pedestal alone won't transmit without the antenna mated to it, so if you're shopping piece by piece, confirm you've ordered both the base and the array before scheduling the install. We're happy to help spec the full kit if you tell us your chartplotter model and the size of your radar arch.