Radar Principle

The principle of a radar system (constant wave radar) emitting a wave and receiving the reflected wave that was reflected by an object (target).

Although some aspects of radar technology are very complex, involving higher mathematics, the basics of how radar works is fairly straightforward. A radar system has a transmitter that sends out radio waves called radar signals in a direction determined by the radio operator. These radar signals (made up of radio waves and microwaves – types of electromagnetic waves) bounce back to a transmitter for interpretation. As seen in the image above, the basic concept of a sending out radio waves from a transmitter/sender over a distance “r”, allowing them to hit an object, having the reflected wave (shown in green) travel back over the same distance, “r”, back to the receiver – is a simple idea. Using high school mathematics, one can see that measuring the time it takes for the wave to travel from the transmitter to the object and back , with a known radio wave speed – determining the object’s distance is a simple calculation.

Learn more about SkyRadar’s low cost radar training systems by clicking on the picture.