3.

Radar Basics - 2
ERS-1 Earth Resources Satellite
Terra SAR - X
SEASAT Shuttle SAR Image
Airborne SAR Image of the
Penatgon
source: Sandia Corporation -http//www.sandia.gov
Stealth aircraft
Courtesy of AMS
A. Farina, June 2003
RAN 20 S, radar electronic cabinet including: a) RF Generator (double
conversion); RF-IF receiver; b) Signal processor (target and weather); c) Data
processor (target and weather);
Radar Equipment Rack
Block Diagram of a Typical Radar
RF
AMPLIFIER
MODULATOR POWER
SUPPLY
DIPLEXER
AND FILTER
EXCITER
RF
PREAMPLIFIER
AND MIXER
IF AMPLIFIER
AND
QUADRATURE
DETECTOR
ADC and
SIGNAL
PROCESSING
DATA
PROCESSING
AND DISPLAY
SYNCHRONISER
ANTENNA
ANTENNA
RECEIVER
TRANSMITTER
MICROWAVE EXCITER AND
SYNCHRONISER
Typical Applications
HF


VHF and UHF

L-band

S-band


C-band


X-band


Ku- and Ka-
band

V- , W- and
mm-wave
bands
3 - 30 MHz


30 - 1000 MHz

1 - 2 GHz

2 - 4 GHz


4 - 8 GHz


8 - 12 GHz


12 - 40 GHz


40 - 100+ GHz
Over-the-horizon radar, combining very long range with
lower resolution and accuracy. More useful over the
oceans.
Long range, line-of-sight surveillance with low to medium
resolution and accuracy and freedom from weather effects.
Long-range surveillance with medium resolution and slight
weather effects (400 km)
Short-range surveillance (120 km), long-range tracking
with medium accuracy. Subject to moderate weather
effects in heavy rain or snow.
Short-range surveillance, long-range tracking with high
accuracy. Subject to increased weather effects in light to
medium rain.
Short-range surveillance in clear weather or light rain;
long-range tracking with high accuracy in clear weather,
reduced to short range in rain.
Short-range tracking, real and synthetic aperture imaging,
especially when antenna size is limited and when all-
weather operation is not required or ranges are short.
Limited to short ranges in a relatively clear atmosphere,
very short ranges in rain. Generally for tracking and smart
seekers with very small antennas. Remote sensing of
clouds.
Radar Frequency Bands
Radar Letter Band Designations
frequency (GHz)
wavelength (cm)
0.125 0.25 0.5 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128
240 120 60 30 15 7.5 3.75 1.87 0.94 0.47 0.23
L S C X Ku
A B C D E G I J K M F H L
K Ka
RADAR BANDS
ECM BANDS
Atmospheric Attenuation
Weather
Atmospheric attenuation clear
air
mm-wave
sub mm-
wave
Infra-red
Vis. UV
micro-wave
Extra Attenuation Foul Weather
99.8%
A
t
t
e
n
u
a
t
i
o
n

/

d
B

p
e
r

k
m

T
r
a
n
s
m
i
s
s
i
o
n

o
v
e
r

1
k
m

10GHz 100GHz 1THz 10THz 100THz 1000THz
1
10
100
1000
0.1
0.01
10%
80%
98%
10 %
-8
10 %
mm-
wave
sub
mm-
wave
Infra-
red
Vis. UV
micro-
wave
94GHz
35GHz
Fog
(50m vis)
Heavy rain
(25 mm/hr)
Drizzle
(0.25 mm/hr)
-100
Radar Ranging
point
target
r
radar
pulse
Two-way propagation delay


hence
2

r
t
c
=

2
ct
r =
Radar range is sometimes quoted in nautical miles (1 nmi = 1.85 km), and
velocity in knots (1 kt = 1 nmi/hr)
Range Resolution
point
targets
radar
pulse
duration = !
r + "r
r
received
energy
time
echo
duration = !
The separation in time between the echoes from the targets is





Set this = , then

The radar echo is usually processed in
samples of range extent equal to the range
resolution, and known as range bins.
( )
2
2 2

r r
r r
c c c
+ !
!
" =

2
c
r
!
" =
!
Range Resolution (ii)
The spectrum of a rectangular pulse of length t



is a sinc function centered on w
0




whose bandwidth (at -3.9 dB) is B = 1/



So we can write the range resolution as
2
! =
c
r
B
0
( ) cos
2 2
f t A t t
! !
" = # $ $
( )
( )
( )
0
0
sin 2
2 2
F
! ! "
"
!
! ! "
# $ +
=
% &
% &
+
' (
!
Angular Resolution
(radians)
B
d
!
" #
r
antenna
length = d
azimuth resolution

B
r r
d
!
" = #
Pulse Repetition Frequency
time
Pulses are usually transmitted at a regular interval, known as the
pulse repetition interval (PRI)










The reciprocal of the PRI is the pulse repetition frequency (PRF)
PRI
1
PRF
PRI
=
Maximum Unambiguous Range
time
Associated with a given PRF is a maximum unambiguous range,
since any echo which arrives after the instant of transmission of
the next pulse cannot unambiguously be associated with the
original pulse.

The maximum unambiguous range is therefore or









PRI
. PRI
2
c
2. PRF
c
Maximum Unambiguous Range
Scanning radar
Many (but not all) radars scan in azimuth.

If the scan period is T, then the time (dwell) for which the beam
illuminates a given target is :




Hence the number of pulses illuminating the target is :





The rotation rate of the antenna (in r.p.m.) is
B
o
.
!
!
B
(with in degrees)
360
T
B
o
. .
360
!
PRF T
60
T