A Look At The Impact The Monopulse Comparator Has Had On Radar Technology

By Elaine Guthrie


There are many different types of military technology that civilians may not be familiar with. Some devices only have military applications while others, such as radar (radio detection and ranging), have found their way into different areas of our lives. Radar systems have changed quite a bit and become much more accurate since they were first developed. This is partially due to the introduction of the monopulse comparator into modern systems. Here is a look at radar in general as well as how these devices have improved technology so much.

Although radar systems were initially used by the military to detect approaching aircraft and other potentially hostile objects these systems are being used in many other ways these days. Motorists are likely familiar with the guns used by police in order to detect speeding vehicles. The signal can bounce off of a vehicle and travel back to the gun in order to give the officer an idea of how quickly a particular car is traveling.

Meteorologists have also started using these systems to monitor the weather and create forecasts. They can be very helpful if a severe weather system is expected. Radar can be used to determine how large or severe a storm such as a hurricane or a tornado is. Other types of storms such as blizzards and thunderstorms can also be mapped using these systems.

While many people think that these systems can just be used on land, this is not true. Marine radar will bounce signals off of nearby objects. This shows a ship where it is (by detecting the shoreline or marine buoys) or whether there are other ships in the same area.

A radar system is made up of a transmitter, waveguide, duplexer, receiver and a display processor. The transmitter generates the radio frequency which will be used to detect objects. There is a waveguide that is used to connect the transmitter with an antenna that will send the radio frequency out into the environment. A duplexer is then used to switch the antenna from transmitting to receiving and the resulting signal is captured by the receiver and displayed on the display processor.

Jamming used to be a significant issue with early systems. While most people think of jamming as an enemy action, this is not always the case. Jamming simply refers to interference from radio waves of the same frequency as a particular radar system. It can obscure objects or give an inaccurate idea of how fast they are traveling or the direction in which they are moving.

A comparator allows for a radar beam to split into multiple segments. Originally the beam was split into two sections although now there are comparators which allow for a beam to be split into four sections instead. When the beams are compared, the slight differences in position between each of the beams allows the radar system to more precisely locate where a particular object it is or how fast it is moving.

There are several different types of these devices. The type that you choose will depend on exactly which kind of radar system you have set up. You can find comparators online although generally only on specialty websites that offer other radar equipment as well.




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