Choosing the right radar

[LimaBavo]

Hi Chuck!

Thanks again for taking all of our questions and the amazing forum. I read all 7 pages on radar but haven't found a good answer for this one.

I'm trying to choose the right radar for coastal cruising on the Great Lakes, no fishing, just traffic and terrain (pier) avoidance.

I narrowed it down from Open Array (cost) and Digital (not enough features) to the HD Color RD418HD vs the RD424HD. I like the dual range, dual speed, chart overlay and digital features.

Based on those two, and the beam width, I can't see (mathematically) where the difference in beam width of 4.9º and 3.9º will be discernible at 3mi or less with 48rpm rotation?

What's your opinion for coastal cruising at 4 to 18kts (mostly around 8kts) with radar range mostly set at less than 5mi and a lot of the time 3mi or less (in fog, rain, night etc) just used for traffic and terrain avoidance?

I really like the size of the RD418HD, but if the RD424HD is WAY better at those ranges, I'd do that.

LB