IETE Journal of Education

ISSN: (Print) 0974-7338 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tije20

Basic Concept of Radar

K. S. Venkata Krishnan

To cite this article: K. S. Venkata Krishnan (1969) Basic Concept of Radar, IETE Journal of
Education, 10:4, 173-175, DOI: 10.1080/09747338.1969.11449952

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09747338.1969.11449952

Published online: 11 Jul 2015.

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Download by: [University of California, San Diego] Date: 29 June 2016, At: 12:53
 Basic Concept of Radar
K. S. VENKATA KRISHNAN*
(Manuscript received on 13 Fcbruary 1969)

T
HE word Radar is formed from the first letters of the words - ' RAdio Detec-
tion and Ranging '. It is a deviee for detecting and finding the position of
material objects, usually at ranges far beyond the capabilities of the unaided
human eye. It works equally well in daylight or darkness as well as in the presence
of fog. Radar sets may be broadly classified as Pulse Radars, CW (continuons wave)
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Radars, the former being the more common type. In pulse radars, the radar trans-
mitter sends out short pulse of RF at very high power. During the waiting period
between pulses, the receiver is active. If there is any material object in the path of
the transmitted energy, a small fraction of the energy is refiected by the target and part
of the refiected energy or echo is picked up by the receiver and amplified. The time
elapsed between the transmitted pulse and reception of echo is proportional to the
distance of the target from the radar set. The range of the target is displayed by the
Indicator which is basieally a deviee for the measurement of the small time interval
between the instant when the pulse is transmitted and the instant the pulse is received.
The radiated energy being an electromagnetic wave, it travels in space with a velocity
c of 3 x 10~ metres/sec. If the distance of the target from the radar set is R, the time
t taken for the pulse of energy to travel from the radar transmitter to the target and
back to the receiver, then
t = 2Rjc
R=cf2xt
Thus each micro-second delay corresponds to a range of 150 metres approx.
The angular information about target's position is obtained by concentrating the
transmitted energy in narrow beams. Since only those targets, lying in the path of the
transmitted bearn, will produce an echo in the receiver, the direction in which a slowly
rotating aerial is pointing at the time, the echo is received, indicates the bearing of the
target. In ordcr to produce a narrow bearn, the aerial dimensions must be many times
the wavelength and this is one of the reasons why extremely high frequencies are used
in radar so that aerials of reasonable size may produce sufficiently narrow beams.

COMPONENTS OF A RADAR SYSTEM

ANTENNA SYSTEM

It is economical in space, weight and cost to use the same antenna for both trans-
mission and reception. For working with common antenna, it is necessary to connect
the antenna to the transmitter while transmitting and to the receiver during the period
between transmission. This function is carried out by the duplexer which comprises
of the TfR (transmit receive) switch and ATR (anti-transmit receive) switch. These
are special gas-discharge deviees. The high power RF pulse from the transmitter starts
*Training Section, DDGI's Office, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 3.

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 STUDENTS; JOUIÜiAL, Voi. 10, No. 4, t96~
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Fig. 1 Fig. 2 - Components of a radar system

the gas discharge and maintains it fôr the duration of the pulse. During this period,
the T/R switch connects the transmitter RF line to the antenna and disconnects the
mixer and the rest of the radar receiver. The ATR switch, when fired, permits the
RF energy from the transmitter to pass it through with negligible loss. Between
pulses, when these switches are in unfired state, the TfR switch connects the antenna
to the mixer and the ATR disconnects the magnetron from the transmission line to
prevent any appreciable loss of the weak received signal.

TRAN~MITTER UNIT
The transmitter .consists of the modulator and the power oscillator which is in-
variably a magnetron in pulse radar. The timing unit (or trigger unit) in the modu-
lator tires the modulator tube. This sends a high power high voltage pulse to the
magnetron which oscillates for the duration of the pulse at the desired radio frequency.
The RF pulse travels through the transmission line, past the ATR and TR switches to
the antenna, which radiates the power. The antenna is mounted on a scanner so that
the antenna bearn may be pointed in any desired direction.

RECEIVER UNIT

The echoes picked up by the antenna are passed through the transmission line
through the T fR switch to the receiver. The receiver is invariably of the superhetero-
dyne type. The local oscillator, usually a reflex klystron, oscillates continuously at a
frequency differing from the transmitter frequency by the IF (intermediate frequency).
The IF is typically around 30 Mc/s. The output of the IF amplifier is demodulated
by a detector and the video output pulses are amplified by a video amplifier. The
amplified video signais are passed on to the indicator which displays them on a CRT.
In addition to the CRT, the indicator incorporates a video amplifier, a time base unit
and a calibration unit. Synchronization signais from the modulator are used to trigger
the time-base. The display may be of the 'A' type on which the distances are mea-
sured on the X-axis and the Y -deflection is proportional to the strength of the echo-
signal. Or it may be of the PPI (plan position indicator) type on which the trace
starts from the centre and travels radially outwards on the face of the CRT and rotates
in synchronization with the antenna. The presence of the echoes results in the

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 VENKATA KRISHNAN: BASIC CONCEPT OF RADAR

momentary brightening of the trace. A drive from the antenna scanner to the PPI is
used to control the direction of the trace.
PULSE SPECIFICATION
Pulse duration - The period during which the transmitter transmits in each cycle is
called the pulse duration or pulse width.
Pulse repetition period (-r,}- The time between the beginning of one pulse and
the beginning of the next pulse is called the pulse repetition period.
Pulse repetition frequency (PRF) or (PRR-pulse repetition rate)- The number
of pulses transmitted per second is called the pulse repetition frequency or the pulse
repetition rate.
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A typical value for -r, is 2000 flSec., which corresponds to a PRF of 500 pulses per
sec. PULSE OUAATION
Duty cycle is defined by the ratio l'r"l

Pulse duration
Pulse repetition period -r,
PULSE AEPITION
and also -r, = 1/J,, where /, is PRF. P[RIOO

For the typical values given above duty

Fig. 3 - Pulse specification
ratio works out to be 1 fLSec./2000 fLSec.
equals 0·0005, if the pulse width is 1 fLSec.
Peak power and average power- The transmitter opera tes only for a small portion
of the cycle. During a cycle of -r, sec., the transmitter is only for -r sec. The
average power (PavJ is, therefore, much less than the peak power (Ppk).
Energy tran. smitted per cycle
Power average (P ) = --- ---
av. Duration of the cycle
Ppk·T
= ·--

or - Pav
___: = -T = duty cycle
Ppk -r,
EXAMPLE
Grad. !TE, May 1965- Determine the peak power and duty cycle of a radar given
that pulse width is equal to 1·0 fL sec. PRR 900, average power 18 W.
T = 1·0 fLSeC., /, = 900
= 1/j, = 1/900
T,

T 1 X 10-6
Dut y cycle =- = - - - = 900 X 10-s
T, 1/900
= 0·0009
Pav 18
P = · = - - = 2 0 kW.
Pk Duty cfs. 0·0009

175