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VMFT Turning Unit and Transceiver Training: August 23-26, 2016 - David Oake New Orleans, USA

The document provides information on radar turning units and transceivers, including basic radar terminology and components. It discusses radar pulse length and how it relates to range and bandwidth. It also covers topics like pulse repetition frequency, duty cycle, intermediate frequency bandwidth, range and bearing resolution. The document describes the main components of radar systems, including the transmitter, rotating antenna, receiver, and display processor. It explains how radar is able to calculate the range, bearing, speed and direction of targets.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

308 views80 pages

VMFT Turning Unit and Transceiver Training: August 23-26, 2016 - David Oake New Orleans, USA

Uploaded by

Hoovers Ramirez

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

VMFT Turning Unit and

Transceiver Training

August 23-26, 2016 – David Oake

New Orleans, USA
VMFT Radar Turning Units and Transceivers

Radiation Hazard
VMFT Radar-Radiation Hazards

● Most countries accept that there is no significant radiation hazard at

RF power density levels of up to 100W/m2.

3
VMFT Radar Turning Units and Transceivers

Basic Radar Terminology

Radar Terminology

● Pulse Length (Pulse Width)

– The period of time the radar is transmitting.
– Radar automatically switches pulse length depending on the range selection.
– At 3 nM all three pulse lengths can be used.

– Pulse length vrs Bandwidth

● Short range uses a wide bandwidth but short pulse length.
● Long range uses narrow band width but long pulse length.

5
Radar Terminology - Pulse length

Pulse Length
Range Range
Scale Rings
SP MP LP

0.125 0.025 0.05µs

0.25 0.05 0.05µs

0.50 0.1 0.05µs 0.25µs

0.75 0.25 0.05µs 0.25µs

1.5 0.25 0.05µs 0.25µs

3 0.5 0.05µs 0.25µs 0.75µs

6 1 0.25µs 0.75µs

12 2 0.25µs 0.75µs

24 4 0.25µs 0.75µs

48 8 0.75µs

96 16 0.75µs
Radar Terminology

● PRF – Pulse Repetition Frequency

– The number of times per second that the radar is transmitting.

● Duty Cycle
– The amount of time the transmitter is outputting a radio signal compared to the time it
waits for a return signal.

● IF Bandwidth (Wide or Narrow)

– Intermediate frequency is the same for all commercial radars – 60Mhz.
– Incoming radio signals are received and converted to 60Mhz for use by the receiver
regardless if the radar is an X or S Band then demodulated and turned into a video
signal.
– IF bandwidth determines how much of the radio spectrum the receiver is allowed to
see.

Friday, April 30, 2021 7

Mark pages according to the proprietary level of information as described in Company Procedure J103 (or remove)
Radar Terminology

● IF Bandwidth
– VMFT uses a 20Mhz bandwidth for SP and MP and 3Mhz for LP.
– SP and MP look at a much wider band of frequencies due to distortion and phase
shift of the radar returns.
– Short range targets in a high clutter environment = Wide bandwidth
– Long range usually see cleaner targets , very little interference and phase shift
therefore very little band width is required.

● Range Resolution
– The ability of the radar to determine the range to a target.

Friday, April 30, 2021 8

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Radar Terminology

● Bearing resolution
– As the antenna sweeps and signals are sent out we can detect the bearing of a target
based on the radars own azimuth.
● Associated with the antenna speed and pulse length.
● Lower antenna speed and a high PRF will provide better bearing resolution.

● X-Band (3cm)
– Suited for close range
– Short wave length provides higher range and bearing to close targets.

● S-Band (10cm)
– Long range / higher power.
– Better suited to follow the curvature of the earth.

Friday, April 30, 2021 9

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Radar Terminology

Friday, April 30, 2021 10

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Radar Fundamentals

● Range (Distance from own ship)

● Bearing (Angle from own ship’s heading)

● ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) - Collision Avoidance. ARPA tells us what other

vessels are doing

● How does the radar see other vessels in rain and sea clutter

● Main radar Components

● Factors affecting the performance of the radar

How it works

● Transmitter – Provides a powerful source of microwaves –

needed to achieve range performance
● Antenna- Focuses the microwaves into a narrow beam.
● The microwaves are reflected off targets (vessels, buoys,
land etc.).
● Antenna – Collects the reflected microwaves from objects in
its path.
● Receiver- detects and amplifies the received signals.
● Display Processor – removes the unwanted signals, e.g.
clutter, but keeps those from targets and displays the results
on the screen.

The Radar Energy is Pulsed at Up to 3000 Pulses Per Second

Range & Bearing

● Imagine now just a pulse of microwave energy

● From the time each pulse is sent out - time how long it takes to receive
a reflection from an object
● We know the speed of microwaves (300,000 km per sec)
● Distance travelled = time x speed
● Therefore: Range of target = half total distance travelled by pulse
time

● At any given moment the radar display knows the direction the
antenna is pointing with respect to the ships head
● Heading Marker pulse is sent from the top unit to the display once
every antenna revolution
● In addition 4096 bearing pulses are sent to the display for each
revolution of the antenna

Radar Automatically Calculates Range and Bearing of the Target

ARPA – Automatic Radar Plotting Aid

● We now know a target’s position (i.e. range and bearing)

● A short time later we know its new position
● The speed and direction of the target can be calculated
● Therefore – it is possible to estimate where the target will be in say 5 minutes.
● Also, we know our own speed and direction and …
● where we will be in 5 minutes
● If the two points coincide !!!! Collision

Radar Automatically Calculates The Speed and Direction of all ARPA Targets
and Those of Own Ship to Provide Important Anti Collision Information 14
VMFT Radar Turning Units and Transceivers

System Components and

Factors Affecting Performance
The Transmitter

The Transmitter transmits very short pulses of microwave energy. Typically 1µs (one
microsecond) long pulse to 0.05µs short pulse.

Note that 0.05µs can also be written as 50ns (50 nano seconds)

In the transmitter, the source of the RF power is the magnetron, which is switched on and off at a
fast rate by the modulator, which controls both pulse width and pulse repetition frequency (prf).

The average power of a radar transmitter is the product of Peak Power x PRF x Pulse Width.

eg, for VMFT 25kW operating at 1700Hz PRF and 0.05µs pulse width.

Average Power = 25000 x 1700 x .050 x 10-6 = 2W

It is the average power of the transmitter which influences the maximum range of the radar, not
peak power. E.g. by increasing the average power of a radar by a factor of 2, the range will be
increased by 20%.
Rotating Antenna

● A rotating antenna which produces a fan-shaped beam. The height of the fan is the vertical
beamwidth, typically 25°, Marine radar must have vertical beam width of at least 20° to take
into account the rolling motion of the ship

● Every receiver generates noise (unwanted signal) and it is the level of this noise that the
received signal must ‘overcome’ to be detected and displayed. E.g. by reducing the receiver
noise by half, the radar range will be increase by 20%

● The width of the fan is the horizontal beam width, typically 1-2°. The horizontal beam width
determines the bearing resolution of the radar

● Note: The range resolution of the radar is determined by the pulse width of the transmitted
pulse. Short pulse can display more detail at short ranges, but longer pulses are required for
good long range performance

● The narrower the horizontal and vertical beam width, the greater the transmitted power
focussed on the target and also the greater the received power is reflected back to the antenna
Relationship Between Antenna Size and Beam Width
Antenna Analogy to Light
ISOTROPIC LIGHT BULB

Radiates in all directions equally. Radiates in virtually all directions.

Example: Antenna in a mobile phone is approximately

isotropic.
- it radiates in virtually all directions

SHORT ANTENNA SMALL DEVICE

Example: 4ft X-Band antenna - wide beamwidth Example: Torch - wide beamwidth
+
|
4f 2° Beamwidth
t |
+
Beamwidth defined at ½ power level

LONG ANTENNA LARGE DEVICE

Example: 8ft X-Band antenna - narrow beamwidth Example: Searchlight - narrow beamwidth

+
8f 1° Beamwidth
t +

Beamwidth defined at ½ power level

Basic Marine Radar System –The Major Components

Plain view Side view (X-Band Antenna)

Microwave energy from magnetron fills waveguide
Antenna Metal Guide
Waveguide
Case

Antenna
Antenna Height Vertical beam
Case 4 inches formed in
this direction
Waveguide

Horizontal beam
formed in
this direction
Antenna Length
eg, 4ft, 6ft, 8ft,
9ft or 12ft
Energy leaks from
slots cut in waveguide

Horizontal beam width is narrow because antenna length is large.

Vertical beam width is wide because antenna height is small.
The Receiver

● A sensitive microwave receiver which must detect and amplify the very weak signals received
by the antenne

● PULSE WIDTH: The shorter the pulse, the wider the transmitted bandwidth. The bandwidth of
the receiver should be matched to the pulse width of the transmitter. Therefore the bandwidth
of the receiver also plays an important part in the radar to produce the best signal to noise
ratio

● fore cannot judge Range Performance of a Radar by its ‘brochure’ Transmitter Power

● On short pulse widths the bandwidth of the receiver is generally wide, eg for a 50ns pulse the
option bandwidth is 20MHz, whereas for a 1µSec pulse, the option bandwidth is 1MHz
The Basic Radar Equation

The maximum range performance of radar is given by:

Range =
P x PW xprf x G2 x l2 x a
4
(in metres) 1.2
NF x x TRL x KT x Af x 4 p3
PW

where P = Peak Power (Watts)

PW = Transmitter Pulse Width in seconds
prf = Pulse Repetition Frequency in Hz
G = Antenna Gain in dB
l 2 = Transmission Wavelength in m
a = Cross section area of target

NF = Noise figure of the receiver in dB

1.2 = Ideal Bandwidth of the receiver as a function of pulse duration.
PW L
TR = Two way transmission loss in waveguide, rotating joint etc in dB
KT = Temperature of the thermal noise of the radar system (figure used is 4 x 10 -21W/Hz)
Af = Attenuation factor is space (rain, fog, snow, mist etc) in dB
What Does the Equation Mean? (1)

Transmitter Power - Doubling the average transmitter power of a radar

only gives a 20% greater range performance (assuming
not horizon limited).

Receiver Noise Figure - Halving the noise figure of the radar receiver by
gives a 20% greater range performance (assuming not
horizon limited).

Antenna Beam width - Doubling the length of a radar antenna halves the
horizontal beam width and gives a 40% greater range
performance (assuming not horizon limited).
What Does the Equation Mean? (2)

Rain - For small targets in rain of 4mm or 8mm per hour, the
S-band Radar performance will be approximately 25% and
40% greater than that of the X-band radar.

Waveguide Losses - The range performance of a radar will be reduced by

about 25% when a 20m length of waveguide is used
between the transceiver and scanner unit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clear Weather - An X-band Radar on a calm sea and in absolute clear

weather conditions free of moisture gives a 15% better
range performance than an S-band Radar, all parameters
being the same.
Add the Complication of the Curvature of the Earth

Note: It is not possible to overcome the Radar Horizon effect, for example by improving
the Radar. There is no actual benefit to be obtained by providing very long range scales
on the Radar display, such as 96nm or greater.
VMFT Radar Turning Units and Transceivers

Clutter Suspression
What is Clutter?

Unfortunately, radar pulses are also reflected from the sea.

● It is most important that a radar should be effective at removing unwanted clutter, to

show the targets

● S-Band radars are typically 3 times better than X-band radars in suppressing clutter in
heavy seas, where small targets are masked by water spray

● Rain also produces clutter that can mask targets

What does Clutter look like?

A typical radar return on diagram

Distance
region of rain
Intensity of the
return signal

target

target in rain

targets in clutter
sea clutter region
Main ‘bang’
i.e. Pulse from
Magnetron

Sea & Rain clutter can be processed in one of two ways:

• Manual adjustment of Anti-clutter sea & rain
• Automatic clutter rejection – known as Auto or Clearscan
How do we suppress Clutter?

A typical radar return on diagram

Distance
Intensity of the return signal

Anti-clutter sea waveform

Waveform with clutter suppression

Manual Clutter Suppression

Anti-clutter sea generates a waveform that attempts to match the size and slope of the clutter
return and is ‘subtracted’ from the original radar return.
Rain Clutter Suppression

Using Manual Anti-Clutter Rain Suppression:

Anti-Clutter Rain suppresses signals that are not changing much.
As the control is increased, an increasing proportion of the signal is
affected, revealing more of the target in the rain covered region.

Distance
Intensity of the
return signal

Increasing a/c rain

VMFT Radar Turning Units and Transceivers