A PORTABLE FM-CW DOPPLER RADAR TO PROVIDE METEOROLOGICAL DATA IN THE FIELD

A PORTABLE, LOW COST FM-CW DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR IS PROPOSED TO PROVIDE "REAL-TIME" METEOROLOGICAL DATA IN THE FIELD. SUCH A SYSTEM WOULD ASSIST BATTLEFIELD DECISION MAKING BY MONITORING CONDITIONS PERTINENT TO MICROWAVE DUCTING, ARTILLERY CONTROL, AND DETERMINING LOCAL WEATHER. CURRENT DOPPLER WEATHER RADARS TEND TO BE PULSED, VERY LARGE, AND TO COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS; THEY REQUIRE A LARGE OPERATIONAL STAFF AND A HUGE DATA PROCESSING INVESTMENT. WE PROPOSE A NEW MICROWAVE HARDWARE AND DATA PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL MAKE IT FEASIBLE FOR INDIVIDUAL METEOROLOGICAL USERS TO HAVE THEIR OWN DEDICATED, LOW-COST, PORTABLE, RANGE-RESOLVED DOPPLER WEATHER RADARS. A SPECIFIC GOAL IS TO USE THIS TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE ARMY METEOROLOGISTS WITH AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR ASSESSING BATTLEFIELD ATMOSPHERIC AND WEATHER PARAMETERS IN "REAL-TIME." THE HARDWARE SOLUTION PROPOSED INVOLVES HOMODYNE SOLID-STATE FREQUENCY-MODULATED CONTINUOUS-WAVE (FM-CW) TRANSMITTERS, LOW-NOISE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT RECEIVERS, AND HIGH SPEED DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING ON 80386 BASED PERSONAL COMPUTERS. THE AVAILABILITY OF A HIGH SPEED SIGNAL PROCESSING CAPABILITY ALLOWS THE ADVANTAGES OF FM-CW HARDWARE SIMPLICITY AND PORTABILITY, WHILE TAKING ON A VERY SUBSTANTIAL RANGE-RESOLVED DOPPLER SIGNAL PROCESSING COMPUTATIONAL LOAD.