Radar technology

We have worked with Dr Simon Kingsley of SCEOS and the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering on particular aspects of radar technology. One example is a study of the OSCR receive antenna patterns and their implications for wave measurement. We have established that sidelobe levels are particularly high when the receive antenna is not aligned parallel to the coast and that this causes problems for swell measurement.

We are interested in developing techniques to avoid such problems and also to develop methods that will allow us to use more compact antennas where alignment is less of a problem. Antenna sidelobe problems have also been identified in the OSCR deployment during Showex.

In collaboration with Neptune Radar Ltd, the Meteorological Office and DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) we have assessed the performance of the PISCES radar in terms of maximum range for availability of different types of data and how this varies with operating frequency and time of day.

We have also validates the data using a wavebuoy deployed by Cefas and the Met Office wave model products. The system was being evaluated with a view to including HF radar in the proposed UK wave monitoring network, WAVENET.