How do buoys with radar reflectors appear on the screen?

Buoys equipped with radar reflectors appear larger than their actual size on radar screens due to the way radar waves interact with these reflectors. The radar systems emit waves that bounce off the radar reflectors installed on the buoys, enhancing their return signal to the radar display. This amplification of the signal can create an echo that is interpreted by the radar system as a larger object, thus producing a display showing the buoy as larger than it truly is.

The size distortion occurs because the radar system may not accurately represent the physical dimensions of small objects and can also result from the radar's beamwidth and resolution limits. Consequently, while the buoy may be a small object in reality, the technological characteristics of radar make it appear much larger on the screen, drawing attention to it for navigational purposes.