A RADAR SIGNAL PROCESSOR FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

A signal processor for use with pulse radars for the study of insects or birds is described. The processor uses a combination of standard electronic components and microcomputer control to give a system which is flexible without being too complex or expensive. The processor measures signal power using a robust peak-detector-based range gate. Using a peak detector and sample-hold amplifiers allows limited bandwidth interface cards to handle high bandwidth signals. The range at which the signal is sampled is controlled digitally to 3 m resolution, typically between 0 and 12 km. The range gate itself provides fine range measurement to better than 1 m for isolated point targets. The radiation's polarization plane may be rotated, controlled by the processor. Standard analogue and digital interface cards allow a microcomputer to control the processor, with the potential for powerful data collection routines to be developed from a personal computer (PC). A typical system could search a 1 km range interval for targets to 3 m resolution in less than 0.5 s. The system is designed to collect data for signal analysis techniques being developed for radar entomology, and could also be used in radar ornithology or other radar or lidar techniques.