🔍 Key Concepts

• Radar range vs. bearing accuracy in typical marine radar sets • How radar displays distance (range rings, time delay) compared to direction (bearing cursor) • Factors that can distort the shape and size of echoes on a radar screen

💭 Think About

• Think about which measurement (direction, distance, shape, size) depends most directly on precise timing of the returned pulse. • Which of these four choices is least affected by beam width, target aspect (angle you see it from), or sea clutter? • On your own radar experience or training simulators, which value do you usually trust most when putting a range/bearing line on a target?

✅ Before You Answer

• Recall that radar measures time between pulse sent and echo received—what does that translate to physically? • Remember that radar beams have a certain horizontal width—how might that impact the apparent direction, shape, or size? • Ask yourself which quantity navigators rely on radar for when plotting on a paper chart: range or bearing?