is that radar reflectors are basically all pretty useless. Not totally, but basically. Unless you use an active electronic one like the Mini Transat boats use, a Sea-Me.

There are degrees of effectiveness amongst the various kinds tested in the report; so, as you put it, "don't rely on the other guy seeing you on his radar no matter how you mount it."

I hadn't realized that the tube-type reflector that I have is, according to the testing, essentially useless --the worst of them all! Oh well, I got it cheap, I hope (can't remember)

Going up the BC coast this spring, one very overcast day, I saw a big cruise ship way off in the distance on its way south and out of curiosity, I thought I'd call the captain to see if he saw me...a few minutes later he came back with a reply, from the navigation person on board, that we were "a very faint target 5.8 miles away". There may have been other factors in us not being much of a target (ship's radar setting?), but since we have a metal hull, it keenly reminded me that it's up to you to not let down your guard and trust reflectors (or whatever gear it may be--GPS, etc.) to keep you safe. Patently obvious, but easy to forget sometimes as we become more and more reliant on external things to filter and make sense of the experience around us, if I may put it that way...sometimes they're extremely helpful, sometimes quite distracting, in a sense.