If your radar plots are not equidistant, what should you do?

Prepare for the COLREGs Scenarios Test. Enhance your maritime navigation skills with interactive simulations, multiple choice questions, and detailed explanations. Ace the test with thorough practice!

Radar plotting relies on equal time steps between plots to create a reliable track of a target’s motion. Each plot marks where the target is at a fixed interval, so the spacing along the track should be consistent. If the plots aren’t equidistant, the time baseline is off, and speed or course calculations derived from the plot become unreliable. The correct fix is to add a new plot or restart the plotting sequence to reestablish a uniform time interval and a clean track. Ignoring the issue or trying to change your own course won’t correct the plotting timing, and stopping plotting would break the track altogether.