To understand the significance of the Bridgemaster 180 and 250, one must look back at the era of their dominance. Produced primarily during the 1980s and 1990s, these systems bridged the gap between the analogue "green screen" radars of the past and the digital, raster-scan integrated bridges of the future.
Before the advent of modern ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) integration, "Autotrack" was a revolutionary feature. It allowed the radar to lock onto a specific target and automatically track its course and speed, calculating the Closest Point of Approach (CPA) and Time to CPA (TCPA).
| Component | Description | |-----------|-------------| | | 4ft or 6ft slotted waveguide array, 25 kg, 24 RPM rotation | | Transceiver | Magnetron-based X-band (9300–9500 MHz), peak power 10 kW | | Display Unit | 180/250 mm monochrome green-phosphor CRT or later LCD variant | | Autotrack Processor | Separate rack-mounted unit with manual acquisition and automatic tracking up to 20 targets | | Inter-switch Unit | Optional for dual radar configurations | racal decca bridgemaster 180 250 series x band autotrack pdf
While the Bridgemaster 180/250 X-Band Autotrack was a masterpiece of 1990s engineering, it has limitations:
The BridgeMaster series was born from over 50 years of Decca's expertise in marine electronics. Under Racal-Decca, and later Litton Marine (Sperry Marine), the 180 and 250 series were developed as high-resolution X-band (3cm) and S-band (10cm) systems. BridgeMaster 180 To understand the significance of the Bridgemaster 180
. They support various antenna sizes, typically 4ft, 6ft, or 8ft, providing a horizontal beamwidth as narrow as 1 degree for high-precision targeting. Summary of Impact
Unlike modern digital tracking, which uses complex algorithms to track hundreds of targets, the Autotrack on the Bridgemaster series was often more manual and selective. It allowed the radar to lock onto a
The and 250 series are classic marine X-band (9.4 GHz) radar systems, widely installed on merchant vessels, workboats, and fishing vessels from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Known for rugged construction and reliable Autotrack (automatic target tracking) capabilities, these systems represent a significant evolution from earlier Decca radars.