Wyoming Cloud Radar Characteristics

Platform Airborne: UW KingAir; up to 4 antennas
                 NSF/NCAR C-130; 3 antennas
Transmit Frequency
Source 		94.94 GHz
Extended Interaction Klystron Amplifier
Peak Power / Duty cycle 1.8 KW / 1%
Pulse Length 100, 200, 250, 500 ns
Pulse Repetition Frequency (prf) 1 - 20 KHz
Polarization (pol) radiated linear
Transmitted Pulse Packet 1 to 12 sequenced linearly polarized pulses
via up to 5 Tx/Rx ports allowing up to 5 single-pol antennas
or up to 2 dual-pol and 1 single-pol antennas)
Antennas
  • Type:
       1) Conical horn lens
       2) Cassegrain
  • Feed Type: scalar horn
  • Diameter[m]:
       1) 0.305
       2) 0.305, 0.381, 0.457
  • Gain[dBi]:
       1) ~46.
       2) 46.3, 48.2, 50.1
  • Sidelobes[dB] azimuth/elevation:
       1) better than -21 dB
       2) -18.6/-19, -19.5/-17.5, -19.5/20.7
  • Beamwidth[deg]:
       1) 0.78;
       2) 0.81, 0.6, 0.5
  • Far Field[m]: 60, 91, 132
Antenna Configuration UW KingAir
  • Four Antennas, all with single polarization or one with dual-polarization
        Beam-directions: Near Zenith, ~30 deg slant off of zenith
        Near Nadir, ~30 deg slant off of Nadir
NSF/NCAR C-130
  • Three Antennas, Single polarization
        Beam-directions: Near Zenith, Near Nadir, and
                 ~30 deg slant off of Nadir
Polarization received dual (H/V) linear
Receiver Noise Figure 6 dB
Receiver Dynamic Range > 65 dB
Receiver Bandwidth 10, 5, 2 MHz
Receiver Channels Two-channel 16-bit digital receiver
Doppler Velocity
(pulse pair processor)
Full Spectrum		 ± 15.8 m/s (@ 20 KHz prf)

16 to 256 bins
Minimum Detectable Signal with
single 0.3 m antenna at 1km, 250ns pulse, 500 ave. pulses		 -40 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)		 >45 dB
Channel-to-Channel Isolation
(point target)		 >40 dB
Channel-to-Channel Isolation
(distributed target)		 >35 dB
IF frequency (1st stage) 3.26 GHz
IF frequency (2nd stage) 60 MHz