Research Facilities - Mobile TTU Ka-Band Radars
In 2006, the TTU Vice President for Research awarded a $1M Research Development Grant to initiate the development of two mobile Ka-band Doppler radars. These fully coherent, pulse compression Doppler radar systems utilize traveling wave tube technology and provide the ability for four-dimensional mapping of a wide spectrum of atmospheric phenomena with very-fine spatial resolution useful for both the atmospheric science and engineering communities. To date, the TTU Ka radars have been developed using a variety of funding sources totaling over $1.8M.
TTU Ka Radar Specifications:
Transmit Frequency |
34.86 / 35.06 GHz (for TTUKa-1 / TTUKa-2) |
Transmit Power |
200 watts peak, 100 watts average |
Transmitter Type: |
TWTA, 50% duty cycle |
Antenna Type |
Cassegrain feed, epoxy dielectric |
Antenna Gain |
56 dB |
Antenna 3dB BW |
0.33 degrees |
Polarization |
Linear, horizontal |
Waveguide |
WR-28, pressurized |
PRF |
Variable, up to 20KHz |
Pulse Width |
4 widths, variable from 30 nsec to 80 usec |
Gate Spacing |
12 meters |
Receiver |
Dual block up/down converter |
IF Frequency |
60 MHz |
Pedestal System |
Orbit AL-4016, 6 rpm max axis rotation |
DSP |
Sigmet RVP-900 with Tx IF modulator drive |
Modulation |
Pulse, Linear FM Chirp, Non-linear FM Chirp |
Vehicle |
Chevy C5500 crewcab, custom bed |
Plaform Stabilization |
Computer assisted hydraulic leveling system |