Direct Radar Signal
Generation and Acquisition
with Modular High-speed AWGs and Digitizers – Part 1
In this series of three application notes you will learn about the challenges that are
introduced with modern radar signals and the instruments you can use to overcome them.
Generation and
detection of radar
signals have changed
dramatically in the past
30 years. Today’s
digital signal
processing capabilities
offer a wide range of
possibilities to simulate
radar signals and
include simulated
objects to verify the
performance of a radar
system.
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Modern radar systems Introduction – Part 1
Since the introduction of the radar technology back in the thirties, there has been a continuous race to
increase range, resolution and accuracy. The need to avoid jamming and countermeasures has resulted
in extremely complex signal generation, reception and analysis scenarios. The initial scheme of a simple
fixed or rotating directional antenna emitting short, unmodulated pulses has been dramatically extended
through the implementation of complex intra-pulse modulation schemes. To improve resolution while
extending the range signal emission was abandoned, completely or partially by methods of pulse
compression. Antennas are often based on phase-array architectures where radar beams can be swept
over a region of the sky or even electronically track multiple targets simultaneously without pointing
directly to them. These are some of the elements defining modern RADAR systems :
Pulse Compression:
The need to overcome the contradiction between distance resolution and range led to the idea of applying
pulse-compression techniques. It consists of modulation of the carrier within a radar pulse, processing the
echoes at the receiver. This makes them look “compressed”, equivalent to the ones coming from a much
shorter pulse. There are different ways to internally modulate pulses, both analog and digital.
The most popular analog modulation consists in a fast, linear frequency sweep, known as “chirp”. Digital
modulations are based in a series of phases applied to the carrier (polyphase modulation), divided into
equal duration sections (“chirps”). In both cases, the amplitude of the output pulse remains constant
throughout the pulse.
Ultra-high Bandwidth (BW):
Pulse compression techniques basically interlock radar resolution with waveform bandwidth. Higher
bandwidth leads to high resolution. As technology advances and new, higher speed and bandwidth DSP
and RF circuitry are available, bandwidth of radar signals keeps growing. Nowadays, even commercial
radars (i.e. automotive short-range CWFM radars) may have bandwidths as high as 4 GHz.
Signal Complexity:
The need to avoid jamming and other countermeasures, identify ghost targets or remove the effects of
blind speeds in MTI (Moving Target Indicator) radars has led to the addition of new levels of complexity to
radar signals. Staggering is a technique that changes the PRI (Pulse Repetition Interval) form one pulse
to the next in a regular or random-like fashion. Another strategy is frequency-hopping, achieved by
changing the carrier frequency from one pulse to the next.
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Phase Array Radars:
Many radar systems depend on high gain antennas in order to identify the azimuth (2D) and elevation of
the targets (3D). Tracking radars can even automatically steer the antenna to a given target by
mechanically positioning the antenna towards it. As a consequence, complex mechanical positioning and
control systems must be deployed while such radar systems can only track one target at a time. Things
become even more difficult in radar systems attached to moving platforms such as aircrafts and ships.
Most military applications require real-time tracking of multiple targets simultaneously as well. All these
needs can be served with multiple element, individually controlled antennas, also known as phase-array
antennas. Controlling amplitude and phase for each element results in a radiation pattern that can be
steered in a wide-angle range without having to physically move the array. Even more, by simultaneously
supplying different radar signals with different patterns to the same set of antennas, multiple, independent
tracking systems can be implemented. The same principle can be applied to echo reception, establishing
a Direction of Arrival (DOA) method.
Figure 1. Time-domain instruments such as AWGs and Waveform Digitizers can be used successfully to generate and capture radar signals without the
limitations in terms of modulation and analysis bandwidth found in traditional VSGs and VSAs. Here, a four channel M8195A AWG combined with four
channel M8131A digitizer and M8132A DSP module can generate and capture signals from a phase array antenna at frequencies over a range of 30GHz.
The system can be scaled to include tens of analysis and generation channels. The M8131A digitizer can stream waveform data to external massive
storage and internally process the information. By restreaming the signals to the AWG, signals can be modified in real-time.
As in any technological environment, test gear has tried to cope with all the requirements described
above. Full testing of a radar system may require multiple signal generators and signal analyzers
(Figure 1). Signal generators can be used to feed the high-power, high-bandwidth output stages of radar
systems or to emulate echoes to test the receiver section, including the signal processing stage. Signal
analyzers are basically used for transmitter testing in the time, frequency and modulation (signal
compression) domains.
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The signal generation tool of choice has been the VSG (Vector Signal Generation) which can generate an
IQ modulated carrier at a given range of carrier frequencies with a maximum modulation bandwidth. The
most popular analysis tool has been the VSA (Vector Signal Analyzer), a spectrum analyzer capable of
capturing the amplitude and phase information of a modulated carrier within a given bandwidth (known as
analysis bandwidth). However, coping with the requirements imposed by modern radar systems have
made increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to follow the traditional VSG+VSA approach to solve
measurement needs for most radar engineers.
There are several reasons for it, but the two most important ones are limitations in analysis bandwidth
and the extreme cost and difficulty to build multi-channel, phase-coherent test sets. Nowadays, the most
advanced VSG in the market can generate one RF modulated carrier with up to 1 GHz modulation
bandwidth. The same can be applied to VSAs although some of them can measure beyond the 1 GHz
limit by using an external oscilloscope. Multiple channel or modular instruments are limited to a few
hundred MHz of analysis BW. In frequency-hopping systems, signal BW is greater than modulation BW of
an individual pulse, making this approach even more challenging. The limitations mentioned above, and
the ever-increasing performance of time-domain instrumentation made it feasible to take a different
approach: the usage of AWGs (Arbitrary Waveform Generator) for radar waveform generation and DSO
(Digital Signal Oscilloscope) or waveform digitizers for analysis. These instruments were extensively used
in the past. However, they were typically limited to the analysis and generation of baseband signals (the
signals modulating the carriers). Today, with sampling rates well beyond 50 GSa/s and analog BW
greater than 30 GHz, these instruments can even generate and analyze radar signals right at the carrier
frequency. This series of application notes covers the most important aspects of using AWGs and
Waveform Digitizers in the RADAR application area.
What you will learn in part two in this series of application notes:
In the second application note of this series you well learn how to use various methods to create modern
radar signals. This includes multi-channel RF generation for phased antennas, sequencing of various
pulse patterns and how to deal with imperfections in signal generation through waveform correction.
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Modern Radar Systems at a Glance
In this first part from a series of three application notes where we explained key elements that
distinguish modern radar systems form historical pure analog radars systems. These methods
are pulse compression, ultra-high bandwidth in the multiple GHz range, high signal complexity by
applying digital signal processing methods, and finally the application of phased array antennas,
providing unmatched flexibility in antenna beam forming.
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This information is subject to change without notice. © Keysight Technologies, 20 20, Published in USA, June 30, 2020, 3120-1367.EN
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