Originally Posted by Rat 5
Pointing it up us useless.
- no. Not useless! Significant weather (and I assume you are looking to avoid turbulence and not just rain?) will have a significant 'footprint' above you on base leg. It is unlikely you will find any 'nasties' at 3000' that do not have higher activity.
My handling is like Centaurus and several others here - max gain at high level, scanner down to get ground returns at 80nm and occasionally sweep up and down a bit to check. (Most important to check lower levels as pantload said). Gain reducing as I descend to be at 'auto' below 5000' and scanner angle below 5000 at 5'ish. Sometimes 8 for departure where there is terrain.
That has worked extremely reliably over many years. Radar teaching is sadly neglected by airlines and it not unusual to find an F/O scanning low earth orbit for CB's for several hours on a cavok day
