Few parameters of a pulsed radar are more important than the PRF. This is particularly true of doppler radars. Other conditions remaining the same, the PRF determines to what extent the observed ranges and doppler frequencies will be ambiguous. That, in turn, determines the ability of the radar not only to measure range and closing rate directly, but to reject ground clutter. In situations where substantial amounts of clutter are encountered, the ability to reject clutter crucially affects the radar's detection capability. In this chapter we will survey the wide range of pulse repetition frequencies employed by airborne radars and see in what regions significant range and doppler ambiguities may occur. We will then take up the three basic categories of pulsed operation - low, medium, and high PRF - and learn what their relative merits are.

Chapter Contents:

• Primary Consideration: Ambiguities
• The Three Basic Categories of PRF
• Low PRF Operation

Inspec keywords: radar clutter; radar detection; airborne radar

Other keywords: Doppler frequency; pulse repetition frequency; PRF; Doppler radar; ground clutter; pulsed radar detection; airborne radar

Subjects: Signal detection; Radar equipment, systems and applications; Radar theory