What You Need To Know About The Monopulse Comparator And Radars In General

By Elaine Guthrie


Fans of military technology may be quite familiar with radar technology. Individuals who enjoy air or marine travel have also benefited from this technology as well. Radar systems have changed quite a bit since the early days and one major change is the switch to a monopulse system. A monopulse comparator is a part of this system that has greatly increased the accuracy of modern systems. Here is what you need to know about these devices and how they have improved radar systems in general.

Police officers routine use radar guns to determine whether vehicles are speeding. The signal will bounce out of a hand held device (known as a gun), bounce off of the targeted vehicle, and return in such a way that the officer can tell how fast that vehicle is going. The officer can then decide whether or not any traffic laws have been broken and whether a vehicle should be ticketed.

Weather forecasting also uses this type of system. It can track storm fronts, give information on where a storm is or how severe it is, and allows meteorologists to let us know important weather data. It can be used for tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and thunderstorms as well. Many weather broadcasts will display the results of Doppler radar as part of the broadcast so viewers can see the data for themselves.

Radar is also used in marine environments. Ships can use it to detect other vessels that may be occupying the same area of water and can also use it to determine where they are located. This is done by bouncing signals off of known reference points such as buoys or, if close enough, the shoreline as well.

All systems are made up of the same basic components. Frequencies are generated by a transmitter. There are several different types of these, some of which are more suitable for specific uses than others. The frequency is sent to an antenna by a waveguide. Then, the antenna sends out the signal. A duplexer switches the antenna over into receiving mode so the returning radio waves can be interpreted. This is done using a receiver and the operator will see the results on a display processor.

Jamming was an issue in the past but it is not as much of a problem with the modern monopulse systems that are being used. Because these systems rely on radio frequencies to detect objects, if a radio signal of the same frequency was directed at the radar system itself it tended to interfere with the signal and the system could not produce an accurate image. The monopulse system, because of the way it is set up, makes jamming much more difficult.

Splitting a beam of radio frequency into several portions really improves accuracy. This is because the different sections of the beam can be compared to find out if the result are accurate. A monopulse system can compare up to four different sections of frequency and the operator will get an excellent idea of what is out there and how it is moving.

These tend to be very specialized items and may not be commonly available. There are websites that offer different versions of comparators. If you are purchasing this type of item, it is important to read the description carefully and ensure you are purchasing the right kind of comparator.




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