Radar
How radar works, where it can mislead you, and what the rules require.
Topics in study order
- 1.Radar Rules and Performance Standards: SOLAS, IMO, STCW, COLREG
The rules behind shipborne radar: what STCW expects of a senior officer, which radars SOLAS Chapter V requires by tonnage, the IMO MSC.192(79) performance figures, the COLREG rules on radar use, and how to confirm and keep a radar in good working order.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 2.Radar Errors, Clutter and False Echoes
Why radar never shows the world exactly as it is: range and bearing errors, sensor-induced errors, blind and shadow sectors, sea and rain clutter, and the four families of false echoes — and how a watchkeeper recognises and manages each one.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 3.Radar Position Fixing and the Cocked Hat
How to fix a ship's position by radar: choosing good targets, the four fixing methods, measuring ranges and bearings accurately, routine error checks, and why the true position usually lies outside the cocked hat. A core check on GNSS at sea and a regular Malta exam question.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 4.Parallel Indexing and Wheel-Over
How to monitor the ship's track continuously by radar with parallel index and margin-of-safety lines, work out the wheel-over position for a turn, and plan radar clearing methods to pass dangers safely. A core pilotage skill and a regular Malta radar exam question.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 5.Radar Maps, Navigation Lines and ECDIS Overlay
How radar maps, navigation lines and routes are built and checked on the radar, how an electronic chart overlay works and why a GNSS error shifts it, which display modes suit navigation, and which radar alarms the bridge team must recognise. A safe-pilotage skill and a regular Malta radar exam subject.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 6.Radar Navigation in Coastal, Narrow and Special Waters
How radar is used to carry out the voyage plan along the coast, in narrow channels, TSS and VTS areas, in ice, at anchor and alongside: what it can and cannot show in each case, which settings to use and what the supervising officer must check. A core pilotage skill and a regular Malta radar exam subject.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 7.Target Tracking (TT), AIS and Target Association
How radar target tracking (TT/ARPA) and AIS feed collision avoidance: what each gives, their errors and limits, and how the radar merges both into one associated target. Knowing which data to trust keeps you safe in traffic, and it is core Malta radar exam material.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 8.Radar Plotting: the OAW Triangle, CPA and TCPA
How to work a manual radar plot: the O-A-W triangle, CPA, TCPA, bow crossing range and time, the target's true course, speed and aspect, and how a course or speed change moves the relative line. It is your backup when ARPA fails and a standard paper exercise in the Malta radar exam.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 9.Collision Avoidance with Radar
How radar supports collision avoidance under COLREG: the radar duties in Rules 5, 6, 7, 8 and 19, set-up, CPA/TCPA limits, choosing avoiding action, trial manoeuvres, checking it works and when to resume course. It is the heart of the Malta radar management-level assessment and of every rules-of-the-road oral.
12 cards
1 Nov 2026 - 10.Radar in Search and Rescue
How radar helps in search and rescue: how a radar SART shows on screen and why only X-band sees it, which distress locating devices exist, how search patterns are chosen and why track spacing matters.
8 cards
1 Nov 2026