DETECTING CAPABILITY ANALYSIS ON A BISTATIC DOPPLER RADAR NETWORK

A bistatic Doppler weather radar system consists of one conventional Doppler weather radar and one or more remote passive receiver(s) with low-gain antenna(s). It is one of among the new techniques in the atmospheric wind field probing aspect. In the paper bistatic scattering function and radar equation were derived based on Rayleighscattering condition and the considerations of radar transmitting wave polarization directions and space location of scatter volume firstly. The radar equation was used in the analyzing probing capability and range. A series of simulative calculation of meteorological target scattering ability in all directions and the distributions in space of passive radar received power have been done, providing basis for eliminating sidelobe contamination. The results show that radar transmitting with vertical polarization is better than that with horizontal polarization in bistatic radar technique. An agile transmitting with vertical/horizontal polarizations is useful for exploiting information, because the received power level is higher at upper altitude than that at lower altitude in horizontal polarization transmitting case and reverse in vertical polarization transmitting case. The stronger echo zone is around the baseline and its extension in receiver side. Because the intensity of obliquely echo is less than monostatic echo, bistatic site is less sensitive to weak weather echoes and the probing range of bistatic radar is smaller than monostatic. Sidelobe contamination is an i mportant problem in the bistatic radar network. Comparison between simulations and actual data according to the Anhui Sun reate Ltd. showed a good reproduction of observed effect, with difference explained by receiver antenna pattern in vertical.