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Wyoming Cloud Radar Characteristics

Dimensions, weights and a connecting block-diagram are given here (pdf file).

Platform
  • Airborne: UW KingAir w/ 4 antennas,
       NCAR C-130 w/ 2 antennas
  • Ground: Mobile, 0.61m antenna
       scanning: 360/180 deg azimuth/elevation
Transmit Frequency
Source 		94.92 GHz
Extended Interaction Klystron Amplifier
Peak Power / Duty cycle 1.6 KW / 1%
Pulse Length 100, 250, 500 ns
Pulse Repetition Frequency (prf) 1 - 20 KHz
Polarization (pol) radiated linear
Transmitted Pulse Packet 4, 6, or 8 sequenced linearly polarized pulses
via up to 5 Tx/Rx ports(3 to single-pol antennas
and 2 to a dual-pol antenna)
Antennas
  • Type:
       1) Conical horn, lens
       2) Cassegrain
  • Feed Type: scalar horn
  • Diameter[m]:
       1) 0.305
       2) 0.305, 0.381, 0.457, 0.610
  • Gain[dB]:
       1) 45.3
       2) 46.3, 48.2, 50.1, 53.3
  • Sidelobes[dB] azimuth/elevation:
       1) -29.0/-22.2 (cross-pol: -25.6/-26.4)
       2) -18.6/-19, -19.5/-17.5, -19.5/20.7, -17.5/-20.5
  • Beamwidth[deg]:
       1) 0.81/0.92
       2) 0.81, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4
  • Far Field[m]: 60, 91, 132, 236
Antenna Configuration UW KingAir
  • Four Antennas, all with single polarization
        Beams: Up/Side (use mechanical beam reflector),
        Side-forward, Down, Down-forward
  • Four Antennas, 3 single polarization, 1 dual-pol
        Beams: Side/Up (dual-pol),
        Side-forward, Down, Down-forward
    NCAR C-130
  • Two Antennas, Single polarization
        Beams: Down and Down-aft
Ground, mobile
  • One Antenna, Dual polarization
        Beam: scanning
Polarization received H and V (for Up/Side beam only),
single linear(all other beams)
Receiver Noise Figure 9 dB
Receiver Dynamic Range > 70 dB
Receiver Bandwidth 10, 5, 2 MHz
Receiver Channels
  • Two receivers
  • Logarithmic: magnitude
  • Linear: phase(I,Q)
Doppler Velocity
(pulse pair processor)
Full Spectrum		 ± 15.8 m/s (@ 20 KHz prf)

32 or 64 bins
Minimum Detectable Signal
(1km, 250ns 500 ave. pulses, 0.3m ant.)		 -30 dBZ (One StDev above mean noise)
Volume Resolution
@ 1km, 250ns, 0.3m antenna
@ 3km, 250ns, 0.3m antenna		 37(range) x 12 x 15 m
37 x 36 x 39 m
Channel-to-Channel Isolation
(excluding antenna)		 gt;30 dB
Channel-to-Channel Isolation
(point target)		 >25 dB
Channel-to-Channel Isolation
(distributed target)		 >17 dB
IF frequency (1st stage) 1.2 GHz
IF frequency (2nd stage) 120 MHz