Overview

Radar has become an enormous field, and it would not be practical to explore all types of systems in great detail. Such a project would require many authors, and is not the intent of this book. Should you wish to find more about a specific type of system not adequately addressed in this book, a good beginning reference is Merrill Skolnik s Radar Handbook. In addition to providing general information, it may also provide you with further reference information to direct you to other sources.

This book is directed toward basic practical applications of technical information for the technician. Even so, this requires that the technician have some fundamental understandings of system types for performance analysis, measurements, and corrective actions. Since the information is oriented to the beginning technician, it will mostly use, as examples, simpler single-frequency (as opposed to pulse-compression) transmitters and fixed-beam (as opposed to agile-beam, phased-array, or frequency-scanned) antenna systems.

In 1940, early in World War II, two British Physicists, Randel and Boot, invented the multicavity magnetron, the only device at that time capable of providing microwave energy at power levels sufficient for radar echoing at any significant distance. The magnetron is still in use today, and has advantages over other transmitters in low production costs, ease of tuning, and ease of replacement. It is doubtful that it will cease to be a part of radar systems for many years to come. Coincidentally, it has also become the main component of microwave ovens.

The magnetron...