Installed radar range
The installed radar range is a distance specification used in presentations by radar manufacturers for radar devices using the pulse method. It is determined according to the duration of the reception time and thus the maximum displayable values from the runtime measurement . This range specification is usually equated with the greatest possible distance scale of the viewing devices . The installed range is calculated according to:
with as the speed of light , the time of the pulse train period, the transmission pulse duration and the dead time (here for the BITE )
The duration of the reception time is determined by the pulse repetition frequency . It usually ends before the next transmission pulse. The installed radar range is therefore not always to be equated with the unambiguous range , the range of uniqueness of the measurement. The transmission pulse duration is included in the equation, since the entire pulse length must first be received before the signal can be processed.
The energetic aspects of a theoretical range of a radar device considered by the radar equation , such as transmission power, wavelength of the signal, effective reflection surface and antenna gain, lead to a theoretical range that must be smaller than the range installed in the radar device due to the passage of time. Echo signals. arriving from a greater distance than the installed range are either not displayed or are the cause of measurement errors (ambiguous range). In modern radar devices that work according to the monopulse method, echo signals from a previous pulse period cannot be received because the electronically pivoted antenna is already pointing in a different direction.
A special case are multifunction radar devices, which, thanks to different intrapulse modulation, can also receive ranges outside the time pattern, for example when tracking operational-tactical missiles into interstellar space with simultaneous air space reconnaissance around the radar display.