Detection and Search Radars
Search radars scan a wide area with pulses of short radio waves. They usually scan the area two to four times a minute. The waves are usually less than a meter long. Ships and planes are metal, and reflect radio waves. The radar measures the distance to the reflector by measuring the time from emission of a pulse to reception, and dividing by the speed of light. To be accepted, the received pulse has to lie within a period of time called the range gate. The radar determines the direction because the short radio waves behave like a search light when emitted from the reflector of the radar set's antenna.
Read more about this topic: Radar Configurations And Types
Famous quotes containing the word search:
“The meaning of the Street in all ways and at all times is the need for sharing life with others and the search for community.”
—Virginia Hamilton (b. 1936)