Radar Range Calculator

Radar Range Calculator

Radar range calculator is used to calculate the maximum distance (range) at which a radar can detect a target. 

What is Radar Range?

The range of a radar system determines how far it can detect targets and measure their distance accurately. It is influenced by several factors, including the power and frequency of the radar signal, the sensitivity of the receiver, the size and reflectivity of the target, and the atmospheric conditions.

In general, the higher the power and frequency of the radar signal, the longer the range. However, various factors can limit the effective range of radar, such as attenuation of the signal due to atmospheric absorption, scattering, and interference.

Modern radar systems can have different ranges depending on their purpose and design. For example, weather radars typically have shorter ranges of a few hundred kilometers, allowing meteorologists to track precipitation and severe weather conditions.

Radar Range Formula

RMax = ((Pt × G × S × Ae) / ((4 × Pi)2 × PMin))

Where

• R_max is the maximum radar range
• P_t is the transmitted power of the radar.
• G is the gain of the transmitting antenna
• S (sigma) is the radar cross-section of the target
• A_e is the effective aperture of the receiving antenna: the measure of how effective an antenna is at receiving power. T
• 4π is the surface area of a sphere
• P_min is the minimum detectable signal by the radar receiver.

The whole expression is raised to the power of 1/4 because radar power diminishes with the fourth power of the range.

How to find the radar range?

Example 1:

Determine the Radar Range if

Transmitted Pulse Peak Power (P_t) = 30, Maximum Power Gain of Antenna (G) = 7

Antenna Aperture (A_e) = 23, Radar Cross Section Area (S) = 21

Minimum Detectable Signal of Receiver (P_MIN) = 7

Solution

RMax = ((Pt × G × S × Ae) / ((4 × Pi)2 × PMin))

R_Max = ((30 × 7 × 21 × 23)/ ((4 × 3.14)² × 7))

R_Max = ((101430)/ (12.56)² × 7))

R_Max = (101430 /157.75 × 7)

R_Max = 101430/1104.25

R_Max = 91.854199683

Radar Range (RMAX) = 91.854199683

Example 2:

Determine the Radar Range if

Transmitted Pulse Peak Power (P_t) = 25, Maximum Power Gain of Antenna (G) = 20

Antenna Aperture (A_e) = 15, Radar Cross Section Area (S) = 10

Minimum Detectable Signal of Receiver (P_MIN) = 5

Solution

RMax = ((Pt × G × S × Ae) / ((4 × Pi)2 × PMin))

R_Max = ((25 × 20 × 15 × 10)/ ((4 × 3.14)² × 5))

R_Max = ((75000)/ (12.56)² × 5))

R_Max = (75000 /157.75 × 5)

R_Max = 75000 /788.768

R_Max = 95.0849933

Radar Range (RMAX) = 95.0849933