Marine radar comparator — Skysat

Not necessarily. If the magnetron starts up, detects targets at 24 NM, and you mainly sail offshore, the Solid State upgrade is not urgent. The switch becomes relevant when you sail at night in busy coastal waters (Doppler changes traffic detection), when your 12 V system is under load, or when the magnetron reaches the end of its service life (typically 10–12 years).

All Solid State Doppler. HALO (B&G/Simrad) = optimized for sailing, native integration with H5000 and Zeus. Fantom (Garmin) = longest raw range (up to 48 NM) + highly readable MotionScope colored Doppler. Quantum 2 (Raymarine) = lowest power consumption (~17-20 W), most compact, unbeatable for retrofitting on existing Axiom.

Yes, but not exactly like an alarm. Doppler does not say "this target will collide with you" but rather "this target is approaching relative to you" (red) or "moving away" (green). It provides relative speed information, not collision course data. On deck, the eye instantly picks up red targets against a green background.

Over 24 hours of continuous navigation, a 4 kW magnetron typically consumes 600–900 Wh depending on the transmission cycle. A Solid State Doppler unit drops to 400–700 Wh, representing a 25 to 40 % power saving on the radar system.

No. AIS receives the GPS position declared by other transmitting boats. Radar detects what reflects its waves: everything that floats, including non-AIS boats, drifting containers, coastlines, and squalls. Both systems are complementary.