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Radartutorial
Book 7: “Intrapulse Modulation”

This educational endowment is a printable summary of all topics about “Intrapulse Modulation” of
the internet representation “Radar Basics” on www.radartutorial.eu , containing a lecture on the
principles of radar technology.
Note: This book is an edited and thematically slightly extended excerpt from the book number 4.
If book 7 is used, then you don't need the pages 12,13 and 14 (pulse compression) of the book 4.

Table of Contents
Radartutorial 1
Table of Contents 1
Learning Objectives 1
Intra pulse modulation and pulse compression 2
Pulse compression with linear FM waveform 3
Functional principle of pulse compression 3
SAW Filter 4
Time Side Lobes 4
Pulse compression with non linear FM waveform 5
Pulse compression using phase modulation 6
Barker Code 6
Frank Code 6
Training questions 7

Learning Objectives:
This chapter describes the the so called “chirp radars”. At the end of this chapter the student
should be able to:
 know the terms “Intra Pulse Modulation” and “Pulse Compression”;
 note the advantages and disadvantages of the pulse compression;
 know the different kinds of modulation;
 describe the pulse shape of a linear frequency modulated and a symmetric or non-
symmetric non-linear frequency-modulated transmitting pulse;
 know the terms “SAW filter”, “amplitude weighting” and “time side lobes” and can assign
them to the various modulation techniques in which they have a special significance.

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Intrapulse Modulation and Pulse Compression

Pulse compression is a generic term that is
used to describe a waveshaping process that is
produced as a propagating waveform is
modified by the electrical network properties of
the transmission line. The pulse is internally
modulated in phase or in frequency, which
provides a method to further resolve targets
which may have overlapping returns (so called
Intrapulse Modulation). Pulse compression
originated with the desire to amplify the
transmitted impulse (peak) power by temporal
compression. It is a method which combines
the high energy of a long pulse width with the
high resolution of a short pulse width. The pulse Figure 1: short pulse (blue) of a classic pulsed radar and a
structures are shown in figure 1. long pulse with intrapulse modulation (green channel)

Pulse radar sets of the older keyed on/off modulated type require a high pulse power to achieve
the desired range. At the same time the transmission pulse should be as short as possible,
because this parameter affects the range resolution. These radars must are able to generate and
radiate the total transmit power in just a few micro- or even nanoseconds. For this task have been
developed powerful modulator and transmitter vacuum tubes.
In semiconductor technology built high-power transmitters (transmitter in solid-state technology)
are not able to produce such high-power pulses due to their limited dielectric strength and its
limited working temperature. To radiate the same transmission energy, the transmitting pulse of
this radar must therefore be much longer.
In order to improve range resolution of a radar pulse having a relatively large transmitting pulse
duration, the pulse is modulated internally. Since each part of the pulse has unique frequency,
these returns can be completely separated and integrated into a shorter single output pulse. The
echo signal is therefore compressed in its pulse duration in special filters. The procedure for this
is called pulse compression. Now it is possible to perform a localization of targets within the
transmitted and now received pulse. In pulse compression, the energetic advantages of very long
pulses with the benefits of very short pulses are combined. Through the necessary modulation
self-oscillating channels can not perform this procedure.
The noise in the receiver is always broadband with a random distribution. The frequency
synchronous amount of the received noise is rather low compared to the echo signal. The
amount of noise is greatly reduced by the pulse compression filter therefore. Thus, by the pulse
compression can be achieved even then an output
signal when the input signal is smaller than the
noise floor and would be lost for a simple diode
demodulation.
Disadvantage of this method is, however, that the
minimum measuring distance from the most
monostatic radars is very deteriorated. As long as
the transmitter is operating, simply nothing can be Figure 2: Input signal of a pulse compression filter
received because the duplexer locks the receiver (linear frequency modulation), and its output signal.
during this time. The echo before the pulse
compression filter is about as long as the transmitting pulse. It must be received in its entire
length, to generate a target character. This decreases from the perspective of the duration of the
receiving time calculated unambiguous maximum range.

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Advantages Disadvantages
lower possible pulse-power high wiring effort
higher maximum range larger radars “blind range”
good range resolution Time-Sidelobes
better jamming immunity
difficulter reconnaissance

This modulation or coding can be either:

 FM (chirp radar) with;
o linear or
o non-linear,
 symetrically or
 non-symetrically frequency modulation;
o time-frequency-coded waveform (e.g. Costas code) Figure 3: Symmetrical transmitting
 PM (phase modulation) using Barker or Frank code. pulse with intra pulse modulation at
the output of waveform generator

Pulse compression with linear FM waveform

In this method, the transmitting pulse is frequency modulated linearly. This has the advantage
that the wiring can still be kept relatively simple. However, the linear frequency modulation has
the disadvantage that relatively easily interference can be generated by so-called “sweeper”.

Functional principle of pulse compression

In the following example the principle of operation is illustrated by five present in the transmitting
pulse different frequencies.

filters for frequency components

delay lines for the time duration

Vin summary devices

time duration of Uout

a frequency component
Vin Vout

Figure 4: Block diagram of a pulse compression filter

The compression filter are simply dispersive delay lines with a delay, which is a linear function of
the frequency. The compression filter allows the end of the pulse to “catch up” to the beginning,
and produces a narrower output pulse with a higher amplitude.
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As an example of an application of the pulse compression with linear FM waveform can be
mentioned the air-defence radar AN/FPS–117.
The high circuit complexity is entirely
manageable with today's chip integration ability.
Filters for linear FM pulse compression radars
are now based on two main types.:
 processor-controlled data processing
(after A / D conversion)
 using analogue SAW- filters (Surface
Acoustic Wave devices).

In a processor-controlled data processing, the

echo pulse will be distributed initially to lot of
memory cells. The processor must also detect
this exact memory pattern when in this memory Figure 5: the echo pulse is distributed in the memory in a
lot of memory cells.
area are superimposed several echo signals.

SAW Filter

The SAW filter compress the frequency-modulated echo signal according to an analogous
manner. They work on the piezoelectric principle.
A broadband transducer is vapour-deposited on
a piezoelectric crystal, which converts the
electrical oscillations into mechanical vibrations
in this crystal. However, these mechanical
vibrations spread out with much smaller speed
than the electrical signals on a line itself.
Therefore, relatively high delay times are
achieved (in range of microseconds). On the
same crystal is deposited a serie of frequency-
dependent transducers, which convert the Figure 6: Schematic of a SAW filter with linearly decreasing finger
spacing
mechanical oscillations back into electrical
signals.

Due to the different spacing of these various transducers to the feeding system, the different
frequency components of the input signal get a different time delay, so that all frequency
components of the input signal are shifted in the same range cell. The structure shown in the
image is used primarily in a linear frequency modulation. The finger spacing determines the exact
resonant frequency. The first frequency in the pulse (left) needs the largest delay. The vapor-
deposited on the piezoelectric crystal fingers with precisely this frequency are thus located at the
opposite end of the feed.

Time Side Lobes

However, since the frequency-dependent transducers (like any

filter!) can also be excited by harmonics, unfortunately arise
disturbing sidelobes in addition to the sharp output pulse. These
are known as time or range sidelobes, and have to be
compensated by cumbersome procedures often..
These time side lobes are unwanted signals that have an offset
from the real target impulse in time (that is, in the distance). The
Figure 7 shows these unwanted signals that are shown once as Figure 7: View of the time side lobes:
on an oscilloscope and as an analog
a function of time (on the oscilloscope) and once as a function of video on a PPI-screen.
distance (on a sector of a PPI-scope).

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Since both the time intervals and the amplitudes of the time side lobes are constant, these
sidelobes can be reduced to an acceptable value with a weighting of the signal amplitudes. If this
amplitude weighting is made only on the receive path, but it also causes a deterioration of the
filter and reduces the signal-to-noise ratio.

The size of these time side lobes are an important parameter of radar sets using intra pulse
modulation and pulse compression and can be lowered by this amplitude weighting to a value in
the range of -30 dB. The amplitude weighting is possible with processor controlled signal
processing or with a hardware arithmetic logic.

Pulse compression with non-linear frequency modulation

The pulse compression with non-linear frequency modulation has several distinct advantages.
E.g. it doesn't need a weighting for the suppression of time side lobes, because the function of
the amplitude weighting is achieved by the shape of the non-linear modulation.
It is now possible a filter adjustment with steeper edges by nevertheless low time side lobes. In
this way the losses in the signal-to-noise ratio can be avoided that would otherwise occur by the
amplitude weighting.
The disadvantages of the pulse compression with non-linear frequency modulation are:

 a more complicated circuit construction, and

 a complex waveform, so that every transmitting pulse gets the same characteristics in
compliance with the aforementioned function of the amplitude weighting.

Figure 8: symmetrical shape Figure 8: non-symmetrical shape

The symmetrical shape of the modulation uses during the first half of the transmission pulse
period a rising (or falling) frequency change, and the in the second half of a falling (or rising now)
frequency change. When it is used e.g. only a half of the symmetrical form then obtained a non-
symmetrical form of modulation.

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Pulse compression by phase modulation

Phase-coded waveforms differ from FM waveforms in that the long pulse is sub-divided into a number of
shorter sub pulses. Generally, each sub pulse corresponds with a range bin. The sub pulses are of equal
time duration; each is transmitted with a particular phase. The phase of each sub-pulse is selected in
accordance with a phase code. The most widely used type of phase coding is binary coding.
The binary code consists of a sequence of either +1
and -1. The phase of the transmitted signal alternates
between 0 and 180° in accordance with the sequence
of elements, in the phase code, as shown on the
figure. Since the transmitted frequency is usually not a
multiple of the reciprocal of the sub pulsewidth, the
coded signal is generally discontinuous at the phase-
reversal points.
Figure 10: Diagram of phase coded transmitter pulse
(here using 8 code elements)
Barker Code

Barker Code is a special class of optimal binary phase-shift keying (BPSK). The selection of the
so called random 0 and π phases is in fact critical. They are optimum in the sense that they
provide low sidelobes, which are all of equal magnitude. Only a small number of these optimum
codes exist. They are shown on the table. A computer based study searched for Barker codes up
to 6000 combinations, and obtained only 13 as the maximum value.
It will be noted that there are no larger codes than these 13 which implies a maximum
compression ratio of 13, and which is rather low. The maximun time side lobe level is -22.3 db.
Length of the time side lobe
Code elements
Barker code level

2 +- -6.0 dB
3 ++- -9.5 dB
4 ++-+ und +++- -12.0 dB
5 +++-+ -14.0 dB

7 +++--+- -16.9 dB

11 +++---++--+- -20.8 dB
13 +++++--++-+-+ -22.3 dB Figure 11: The quite elderly AN/TPS-43 took advantage of pulse
compression by phase modulation with the length of 13 codes
Table 1: Selected Barker codes for pulse compression with
phase modulation

Radar sets using intra pulse modulation much more difficult to discover. To achieve its maximum
range, they require less transmitter power, and its transmission pulse disappears rather in the
noise floor than by conventional radars. In this very small signal levels a reconnaissance tool can
discover them only when the modulation type and the pulse pattern are well known. Therefore,
these radars are also known to as “silent radars”.

Frank Code

The Frank Code is a polyphase code modulation format developed for pulse compression. It use
harmonically related phases which are based on certain fundamental phase increments (e.g. for
quadrature phase-shift keying, QPSK).

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Training questions
Please respond these specific questions about pulse compression. The reasonable time to frame
the answers is about 10 minutes. You can use pocket calculator, but the chosen here numerical
examples are optimized to perform with mental arithmetic.
(Remember: the questions can have more than one correct answer.)

1. The transmitting pulse using intra pulse modulation has an overall duration of
60 microseconds and is compressed on the receive path to 1 microsecond. A single range
cell is 150 m therefore. What is the minimum detection range (“blind range”) of the radar
using this waveform?

□ 150 Meters
□ 9000 Meters
□ larger than 9000 Meters

2. The air defense radar AN / FPS-117 uses two different transmitter pulses with a duration
of 100 microseconds and 800 microseconds. What restrictions result from this for the
minimum and maximum theoretical range of the radar?

□ The maximum unambiguous range is calculated from the receiving time

minus 800 microseconds.
□ The receiving time is calculated to 800 µs - 100 µs = 700 µs.
□ The minimum range is determined by the pulse duration of 100 µs.

3. What kind of radars can use the intra pulse modulation and pulse compression?

□ Continuous wave radars with Doppler technology

□ Pulse radar sets
□ Non-coherent radar sets
□ Coherent on receive radar sets
□ Fully coherent radar sets

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