Pulsed RADAR signal generation

and measurements
Educational Note

Products:

l R&S®SMW

l R&S®SMBV

l R&S®FSW

l R&S®FSV

l R&S®RTM

l R&S®BBA150

l R&S®HF907

Target reader group are engineering students who want to perform tests using pulsed or chirped signals.

Current Radar development is focusing the area of signal processing. This is taken into account by this
educational note, where the R&S® SMW / SMBV instruments on the transmitter side and R&S®FSW / FSV
instruments on the receiver side are combined to a closed loop Radar system, performing radar detection
by means of pulse compression and digital signal processing. Appropriate R&S sofware tools for such
applications are described as well as the interface between the tools and the test instruments.

Pulsed radar signals ─ 1MA234_0e

Dieter Bues - PulsedRadar_0e

Educational Note
Pulsed RADAR signal generation Contents

Contents
1 Introduction............................................................................................ 3

2 Radar application systems....................................................................8

3 R&S software solution for radar signal generation ......................... 17

4 Signal power discussion..................................................................... 19

5 Appendix...............................................................................................25

6 Rohde & Schwarz.................................................................................36

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Introduction
Motivation

1 Introduction

1.1 Motivation
Today's radar systems consist of RF electronics, signal processors and appropriate
signal processing software. While the development of RF electronics is mainly focused
on increased measurement bandwidth and higher data aquisition speed, the main chal-
lenge of the signal processing unit is to find improved algorithms being able to take
more and more tasks from the RF electronics.
This is taken into account by the educational note at hand, where the appropriate test
instruments are introduced along with internal and external signal processing capabili-
ties. MATLAB scripts are described how to perform signal processing as well as how
they can be used as interface between external tools and the test instruments.
Additionally this educational note describes how to setup a complete Radar system by
means of appropriate off-the-shelf test instruments available from Rohde & Schwarz
along with MATLAB programs demonstrating the signal processing capabilities of mod-
ern Radar systems. All experiments described in this document can be easily repro-
duced and easily adapted to specific requirements by means of the MATLAB source
code provided as attachment. Because the shown Radar experiments are independent
from each other, only parts of the application can be extracted and used for special
purpose.
Target reader group of this Educational Note are engineering students who want to
perform tests using pulsed or chirped signals.

1.2 Product abbreviations

Following product abbreviations are used in this Educational Note:
R&S®SMW200A Vector Signal Generator: SMW
R&S®SMBV100A Vector Signal Generator: SMBV
R&S®FSW Signal and Spectrum Analyzer: FSW
R&S®FSV Signal and Spectrum Analyzer: FSV
R&S®RTM Digital Oscilloscope: RTM
R&S®BBA150 Broadband Amplifier: BBA150
R&S®HF907 Double-Ridged Waveguide Horn Antenna: HF907

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Introduction
Demonstrating pulse compression

1.3 Demonstrating pulse compression

Pulse compression is a mathematical method to reduce the effective pulse width at
constant energy of the transmitted signal at the receiver. Short pulses are needed for
good range resolution, i.e. the capability to separate (resolve) multiple targets moving
in a close distance with same radial velocity to each other. Therefore pulse compres-
sion is an important method to improve the performance of radar systems.
Figure 1-1 shows a typical example.

Fig. 1-1: Example of pulse compression

A generator provides a signal to the transmit antenna which radiates an appropriate

wave to a flying object. The reflected wave Rx, which is delayed and attenuated, some-
times down close to the noise floor of the system, is received, demodulated and then
lead to the "correlator", which compares the transmitted and the received baseband
signal. Because we are talking about a coherent system, the transmitter and the
receiver are supplied by a common reference frequency, not shown in Fig. 1-1. The
correlator is a mathematical algorithm, which is able to detect the time position of the
known Tx baseband signal within the noisy Rx baseband signal. The output of the cor-
relator thus delivers a single pulse providing the distance information of the plane. The
correlator is normally implemented in the digital signal processing (DSP) unit of the
receiver. In our case it is implemented in a small piece of MATLAB code, as shown in
appendix 5.1.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Introduction
Demonstrating pulse compression

Fig. 1-2: Tx / Rx baseband cross correlation using Barker code, no noise

Fig. 1-2 shows the ideal situation without noise. The top diagram shows the 13 bit
Barker code, which is used for BPSK-modulation in the transmitter, for example signal
generator SMBV as shown in Fig. 1-1. The diagram in the center of Fig. 1-2 shows the
received and BPSK-demodulated signal. The lower diagram finally shows the output
from the correlator, showing a peak at 51 usecs, which equates the simulated signal
delay.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Introduction
Demonstrating pulse compression

Fig. 1-3: Tx / Rx baseband cross correlation using Barker code, with noise

Fig. 1-3 shows the real situation, which includes noise in the received signal. Even
though there is a high peak in the received signal at roughly 155 usec, marked by the
red circle, the true signal is detected clearly at 51 usec as indicated by the green circle.
This example shows that by means of pulse compression the signal to noise ratio in a
transmit receive chain can be increased dramatically. Higher transmission power or
more efforts in receiver electronics would be required to obtain similar results by hard-
ware in order to increase the sensitivity. Hence the example shows that the sensitivity
of a system can be increased by means of digital signal processing, which would need
more efforts and causes much higher costs when being implemented in hardware. The
example also demonstrates the term "Pulse Compression". Even though the Barker
signal is reveived in full length it appears as a small peak because of the correlation as
indicated by the green circle in Fig. 1-2. Thus avoiding the drawbacks of long pulses
and using the benefits of short pulses at the same time. Barker pulses have a special
bit sequence in order to keep sidelobes minimal when doing the correlation. In other
words they have an autocorrelation function with a strong center and very low side
lobes, as shown in Fig. 1-2. Additional information is available in [17].
The complete MATLAB simulation program of this example is included in appendix 5.1.
The signal shapes will vary over each run because of the random noise generator, but
the proper pulse delay detection can be veryfied for each new run of the software.
Additional experiments like the variation of Barker code lengths, increasing/decreasing

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Introduction
Demonstrating pulse compression

noise or using codes different from Barker codes are possible using the provided MAT-
LAB program.
Even though the SMBV can basically provide all signals and modulations as discussed
in this paragraph, its maximum output power of 19 dBm is normally not enough to
detect planes in a long range. Detailed power calulations are outlined in chapter 4,
where the receiving capabilites are also taken into account. A real system based upon
this simulation would need the reference signal to be connected between transmitter
and receiver. However, phase coherent coupling between transmitter and receiver is
not necessarily needed. In the next chapter we will first introduce a radar system con-
sisting of R&S test instruments only, including transmitter and receiver.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Barker sequence TxRx system

2 Radar application systems

2.1 Barker sequence TxRx system

Figure 2-1 shows a typical radar transmit receive system. The appropriate R&S prod-
ucts are shown in the lower part. The software is indicated in the grey boxes in the
upper part. Starting with the baseband signal, for instance a Barker Sequence or a FM
chirp, Fig. 2-1 upper left, the IQ-modulation signal will be calculated and then transfer-
red to the radar transmitter, shown in the lower left.

Fig. 2-1: Generation and evaluation of Barker code modulated signals

Because we are talking about a coherent monostatic system, receiver and transmitter
are operated by a common reference frequency, which is not shown in Fig. 2-1 and
Fig. 2-2 for the sake of simplicity. However, phase locking is not necessarily needed.
The radio signal can be transmitted / received via the air interface or can be directly
applied to a hardware device being tested, as detailed for example in [4]. As shown in
the introduction, pulse compression is applied by means of cross correlation between
the transmitted and received/demodulated baseband signal. Due to the properties of
Barker sequences there is basically a very sharp correlation function with low side
lobes which is only disturbed by noise coming from the transmit / receive path.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Closed loop radar application

So far this example does not consider whether the received power is high enough to
trigger the receiving unit, the FSW in our example. The power issues are detailed in
chapter 4 "signal power discussion" and need to be taken into account when designing
such systems.

2.2 Closed loop radar application

While in the previous chapter a constant baseband signal was used for transmission,
this chapter shows a different situation where the transmitted baseband signal is
derived from a received signal, after an initial signal has been sent first. Retransmitting
modified signals is a common practice in Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) applica-
tions in order to confuse hostile airborne devices. Figure 2-2 shows a simple example
where only two bits of the received bit sequence are modified. However, because of
MATLAB being behind the scenery the algorithm's complexity is rather unlimited. Com-
plex cyphering/decyphering algorithmns can be developed, tested and can be burned
finally into a FPGA using the appropriate Mathworks toolboxes.

Fig. 2-2: Closed loop radar system

In this example an arbitray bit sequence is used for BPSK modulation. Fig. 2-2 shows
the evaluation proceedings as performed with MATLAB, Fig. 2-3 shows the results.
The program is explained in appendix 5.1.3. and is available along with this educa-

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Closed loop radar application

tional note [16]. In order to ensure proper function of the software it is required to oper-
ate the signal generator and the spectrum analyzer from a single reference. Addition-
ally the spectrum analyzer is triggered by a marker from the signal generator. For the
sake of clarity the reference cable and the trigger cable are not shown in Fig. 2-2.

Fig. 2-3: Regaining bit information from the demodulated signal

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Closed loop radar application

The diagram in the upper left of Fig. 2-3 shows the demodulated signal as captured
from the signal analyzer FSW. An FSV can also be used. By means of MATLAB com-
mands, refer to appendix 5.1.3, the I/Q- constellation diagram as shown in the upper
right can be created. By means of the I/Q constellation vector the bit sequence can be
easily determined. The lower two diagrams in Fig. 2-3 are showing the original and the
received bit sequence. The received bit sequence can be used to calculate a jamming
signal, which can be used to confuse hostile airborne devices when being sent back
where the incoming signal was received from. The determination of the bitsequence
via the I/Q constellation diagram -/vector can be extended to other digital modulations
like QPSK by just slightly extending the MATLAB code as listed in the Appendix.
The evaluation of the received signal requires a common reference signal as shown in
Fig. 2-4 on the left. The SMW provides a trigger signal to FSW. The required cabling is
shown in Fig. 2-4 on the right.

Fig. 2-4: Cable links for reference and trigger

Beyond the receiver/transmitter feedback as indicated in Fig. 2-2, this example shows
also how to handle customer specific pulse signals. Any arbitrary digital sequence,
respecitvely any baseband signal can be fed into the transmission system using this
configuration. The sample MATLAB code to feed the digitial signal into the baseband
generator is provided in appendix 5.1.3.
Please take into account also the power requirements as discussed in chapter 4 "sig-
nal power discussion" when designing such systems. The power scenario "Military-
Plane" comes closest to Fig. 2-2
The jamming example in this text assumes a single RF frequency. However modern
radar systems use frequency hopping to minimize interference caused by other sys-
tems or hostile signals. Reference [14] provides detailed information on how to evalu-
ate frequency hopping signals.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Detecting and simulating moving objects

2.3 Detecting and simulating moving objects

State-of-the-art radar systems not only detect the distance of an object but also its
radial velocity. Both, radial velocity and range, are essential especially in the car indus-
try for instance for pedestrian detection. While the range information in radar technol-
ogy is derived from the time delay between the transmitted and the received signal, the
radial velocity is obtained from the frequency shift of the received compared to the
transmitted signal, the so called "Doppler Shift". Figure 2-5 shows a MATLAB calcula-
tion of the Doppler shift of a pedestrian moving with a radial velocity of 3 km/h. When
being detected with a transmitted radar signal of f_Xmt= 2.45 GHz (S-band) the fre-
quency deviation of the received signal is 13.62 Hz depending on the radial direction
the pedestrian is moving. If the pedestrian is moving towards the antennas the fre-
quency is increased by 13.62 Hz, if the pedestrian is turning, the Doppler frequency is
negative. In radar technology this effect is used to detect the radial velocity of objects.

Fig. 2-5: Doppler shift calculation of moving objects

Figure 2-6 shows a test setup to determine the Doppler shift. The output signal of
SMBV is divided into one path feeding the transmit antenna and a second path going
to the local oscillator input of a mixer. The received signal is routed to the RF input of
the mixer. The mixer output signal is displayed on an oscilloscope showing directly the
Doppler signal according to the movement of the pedestrian as calulated similar to Fig.
2-5.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Detecting and simulating moving objects

Fig. 2-6: Radar speed detection of moving objects

Using continuous wave signals this setup is suitable to perform speed measurements.
The results are shown in Fig. 2-7. Using the cursor function of the oscilloscope the fre-
quency of one signal period can be determined as shown in the red marked field of Fig.
2-7. For constant radial velocity the FFT function of the oscilloscope can be also used
to determine the frequency.

Fig. 2-7: Oscilloscope to determine the mixer output frequency

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Detecting and simulating moving objects

A MATLAB program helps to calculate the speed of the object as shown in Fig. 2-8.
The result is 2.69 km/h in this example. The whole application can be completely
remote controlled using MATLAB. In this case the time evaluation is done using half a
period of the mixer output signal in contrast to Fig. 2-7, where a full period was used
for convenience. The MATLAB program can also perform speed evaluation over time
and display the acceleration in a diagram. The actual experiment was performed using
a 2.45 GHz signal. Higher frequencies for instance at 24 GHz can provide more accu-
rate measurements as the Doppler shift is higher and easier to measure. The formulas
in Fig. 2-5, lines 58 and 59 show the relationship between the RF frequency and the
mixer output signal.

Fig. 2-8: MATLAB program to calculate the speed from the mixer frequency

This example has been tested under lab conditions with short ranges of 2 -3 m and
devices with a size of 0.25 sqm. In order to create such systems for open air applica-
tions with real pedestrians the power requirements have to be taken into account also.
The power requirements are detailed in chapter 4 "signal power discussion" and pro-
vide hints on the requirements of amplfiers, antennas and the size of objects being
detected.
When the so far discussed experimental radar systems are reaching their technical lim-
its in terms of radial velocity or distance, another method, called "target simulation" can
be used. As shown in Fig. 2-9 the problem can be solved by means of the off-the-shelf
fading simulator option as for example available for signal generators of the SMW fam-
ily. The transmitted signal can be Doppler shifted using the fading simulator included in
the generator. The configuration makes the resulting signal appear like a signal being
reflected from a moving object. At the receiving side, this is detected by the signal ana-
lyzer accordingly.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Detecting and simulating moving objects

Fig. 2-9: Fading option to simulate range and speed in radar systems (*)

In contrast to Fig. 2-9 where an object was simulated at a range of 4.3 km, sometimes
the simulation of high speed objects is needed, passing the RADAR in a close range,
up to 200 m. Supposed we have an arbitrary baseband signal, for example an FM
chirp signal created by MATLAB, we can set a delay, eg. 1.25 usec and speed, eg. 450
km/h, which both are applied to the modulated signal and is led to the output of SMW.
The signal appears to the DUT as being reflected from an object with a distance range
of 187 m and a speed of 450 km/h. For an experimental system It would be hard to
implement such a fast object in a area close to the test equipment. The basic principle
of the signal generator fading options are best described in [10]. According to the fad-
ing parameter specifications [15] the maximum frequency shift is 4000 Hz, which equa-
tes an object speed of more than 2.000 km/h for 1 GHz radar carrier frequency. Vari-
ous MATLAB calculation examples are given in the file "doppler_3.m" of the programs
attached to this document. Regarding distance simulation the appropriate delay can be
set up to 0.5 sec, which equates a two way distance of more than 75.000 km. The
range setting is very low because of the superposition with a fine-pitch delay. There-
fore the fading simulator can be considered as a widerange simulation tool in terms of
speed and distance, applicable for the simulation of moving shipborne and airborne
devices.
This example is using FM chirp signals as it is common in state-of-the-art radar based
measurements for speed and distance. The video "Analysis of FMCW radar signals"
[11] provides a comprehensive introduction

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Radar application systems
Detecting and simulating moving objects

Please take into account also the power issues as discussed in chapter 4 "signal
power discussion" when designing such systems.
(*) Hint: the M code in the upper left of Fig. 2-9 can be read by zooming into the PDF
document, additionally the full code to create FM chirp signals is available in the file
attachment of the educational note.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation R&S software solution for radar signal generation

3 R&S software solution for radar signal gen-

eration
In state-of-the-art radar applications there are high signal processing requirements as
outlined in the previous text. There are some vendor specific software model libraries
for development and verification of radar systems available. The R&S software solution
for radar signal generation is based on an open model environment such as MATLAB,
C++ and VHDL. The design goals for the R&S radar test software have been: vendor
independence, low entry level in terms of investments and staff education and easy
implementation into target systems, eg. airborne devices or customer environments
such as production plants.
Fig. 3-1 shows a simplified block diagram of the R&S software solution for radar signal
generation. In order to feed the signal generator with a radar baseband signal there are
basically two alternatives as indicated by the switch.

Fig. 3-1: Easy choices in the R&S radar software concept

The more convenient method, shown on the left, is using the R&S Pulse Sequencer
software, which is applicable for various R&S signal generator families. It can be freely
downloaded from the R&S homepage [12]. The free software is useful to perform first
trials and to get an impression about the user interface. Additionally the final waveform
file can be analyzed and displayed as shown in Fig. 3-1. However, in order to down-

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation R&S software solution for radar signal generation

load the final waveform via the LAN interface the option SMBV-K6 must be installed on
the Signal Generator where the radar baseband signal will be used. The pulse
sequencer consists of a pulse library and a sequencer library. Both together are provid-
ing a complete set of common radar baseband signals, like BPSK modulated Barker
Sequence, multiphase codes like Frank, P1, P2 or FM chirp signals. After entering the
parameters or after selecting a predefined pulse pattern and modulation, the basband
signal can be reviewed graphically as shown in Fig.3-1. By means of the R&S Pulse
Sequencer software the so called "markers" can be easily defined. The "marker" sig-
nals are led to external connectors of the signal generator and are useful to trigger
external devices such as a signal analyzer or an oscilloscope. When the waveform is
being defined and calculated, the waveform can be downloaded and started by push
button sending appropriate commands directly via LAN.
Alternatively the baseband signal can be calculated using the MATLAB software along
with R&S MATLAB Toolkit as shown at the right of the switch of Fig. 3-1. The R&S
MATLAB Toolkit is freely available via AppNote 1GP60 [13]. It provides an comprehen-
sive and easy to handle interface between standard MATLAB "number crunching" soft-
ware and the instrument underneath. For example the IQ-data of a three-slope FM
chirp signal can be easily calculated. By means of the versatile MATLAB Toolkit, the
calculated IQ-data is downloaded to the instrument and is directly started along with
trigger markers previously defined in MATLAB.

Fig. 3-2: Performing instrument waveform download using R&S MATLAB toolkit

Fig. 3-2 shows the easy setup of the three stage FM signal to be downloaded to
SMBV. Lines 83 / 84 show preparation of I/Q data from previously performed MATLAB
code, lines 86 - 95 show some administrative data setup. Via lines 97 - 102 the data is
finally send to the instrument and playing out the signal is directly started. The MAT-
LAB code attached to the educational note is providing the full set of lines of this soft-
ware. In addition to arbitrary waveform generation the toolkit provides direct instrument
programming commands such as "rs_send_command" and "rs_send_query" which
both also can be used for other instrument control beyond signal generators. The com-
mands for instance have been used also to remote control the signal analyzers of the
FSV- or FSW -family as shown in the lower right of Fig. 3-1. Using standard software
like MATLAB for radar signal processing tasks has many advantages over vendor spe-
cific software tools. In radar literature many signal processing examples are provided in
MATLAB code, sometimes also simply referred to as "m" code, reference [8] provides
a full set of MATLAB source code examples for radar applications.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Signal power discussion

4 Signal power discussion

This chapter is addressing power requirements which have to be taken into account
when designing radar systems based on test instruments. Power requirements have
already been discussed in [5] and [6]. Additionally the radar tutorial video [9] provides
an introduction to the radar equation, which is essential for power calculations as provi-
ded in this chapter. In appendix 5.1.2 the receiving power of some practical scenarios
is calculated by means of a small MATLAB program. Best impedance matching with
negligible reflection losses is assumed for all examples herein discussed.
Besides the antenna gain there are two main parameters to be considered when
designing radar systems. First, the size of the object to be detected and second the
range. The size of reflecting objects is represented by the parameter "Radar Cross
Section" ( RCS). The parameter is expressed in square meters (sqm) and depends on
shape, material, frequency and viewing angle. Following table shows some RCS val-
ues [1] applicable for microwave frequencies (*) :

Fig. 4-1: Radar Cross Section (RCS) simulation objects and typical values [1]

(*) These values are provided just to give a rough idea on RCS values only. Normally
RCS values are specified along with their determining conditions for instance fre-
quency, viewing angle and environment (sea/air).

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Signal power discussion

Picture 4-2 gives a visual impression of typical RCS values for microwave frequencies.

Fig. 4-2: Comparing typical examples of radar cross section (RCS)

The values according to Fig. 4-1 can be used to estimate the RCS values for various
objects to be detected by radar. For example, when using the R&S power amplifier
BBA150 output power of 56 dBm is available. Fig. 4-3 shows an appropriate example
of an experimental radar system.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Signal power discussion

Fig. 4-3: Power values within typical experimental radar system

For the R&S horn antenna HF907 the gain at 2.4 GHz is specified to 9 dBi. If we want
to detect an SUV now (RCS = 3 sqm) in a distance of 50 m we can expect a receiving
power of -40 dBm. When designing transmission systems according to fig. 4-3 the
maximum feed power for the antenna has to be taken into account also. However, the
maxim PEP feed power of the HF907 is specified to 57 dBm, therefore the antenna
can be used for this purpose.
In order to evaluate the power situation within the entire system we have to take into
account the receiving performance also. The FSW "IF power trigger sensitivity" is
specified to -60 dBm [19]. The receiving sensitivity of FSW can be improved by a pre-
amplifier, option FSW-B24, increasing the effective trigger sensitivity by at least 10 dB.
Fig. 2-7 shows the receiving input levels for various radar scenarios. The trigger sensi-
tivity for FSW standard configuration is shown as a blue dashed line. When the pream-
plifier option FSW-B24 is installed the 10 dB improved red dashed line is valid. The
black diamonds show the input receiving level for following radar scenarios:
- Scenario "Pozar" stems from reading [1], page 662, signal pulse power of 63 dBm (2
kW) using a high gain antenna of 28 dBi, identifying an object in over 8.000m with
Radar cross section 12 sqm, i.e. a medium sized airplane. The power at the receiving
antenna is calulated to -90 dBm. Radar frequency is 10 GHz, X-band in this case,
while for the upcoming scenarios a frequency of 2.45 GHz, S-band is used.
- "SUV_no_amp", a scenario using a SMBV signal generator (18 dBm) directly connec-
ted to R&S horn antenna HF907 (9 dBi), detecting a SUV (RCS = 3 sqm) in a distance
of 50 m. This is similar to Fig. 4-3 with the exception that the power amplifier BBA150
is replaced by short cut. Resulting receiving power is -78 dBm.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Signal power discussion

- "MilitaryPlane", using a BBA150, 56 dBm, 400 W, power amplifier connected to

antenna HF907, detecting a big plane (RCS = 60 sqm) in a distance of only 500 m.
Receiving power -67 dBm, this could be internally triggered when the FSW-B24 is
available.
- "Lab_Cond_no_amp", SMBV , 18 dBm, directly connected to HF907 horn antenna,
9dBi, detecting a small item according to Fig. 2-2, located in a distance of 8 m. Receiv-
ing power of -54 dBm, which could be internally triggered even without FSW-B24.This
"Laboratory condition" scenario can be operated in a small area. However, clutter
reflections from other devices like walls or furniture have to be taken into account in
this case. Clutter reflections can also be kept small in an open air environment or
focusing the target object by high gain antennas.
- "SUV_with_amp" is shown in Fig. 4-3, receiving gain is - 40 dBm.
- "Lab_Cond_with_amp" is similar to "Lab_Cond_no_amp" but using the 56 dBm
power amplifier BBA150, receiving power - 23 dBm. This example shows how experi-
mental radar systems can be created directly under laboratory conditions.
The calculations of the receving input levels is based upon a small MATLAB program,
refer to appendix 5.1.2. This progam can be used to perform additional power calcula-
tions and it shows also all details on the different radar scenarios as herein stated.

Fig. 4-4: Reveiving input levels for various radar scenarios (typical radar bands)

We can expect suitable results for all scenarios located above the dashed lines. For
scenarios below the dashed lines additonal measures are needed. For instance by

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Signal power discussion

increasing the transmitter amplifier pulse power, increasing antenna gain, for instance
using small horn antennas as shown in Fig. 4-5. In contrast to the broad band HF907
antenna horn antennas shown in Fig. 4-5 are specified for a dedicated frequency band
but are providing gain of more than 20 dBi.

Fig. 4-5: Small horn antenna providing more than 20 dBi gain

Additionally external trigger of FSW can be used at least for active radar systems
where transmitter and receiver are operated close together. This is possible when the
transmitting SMBV and the receiving FSW are located close together, which is nor-
mally the case for active radar systems. For passive radar systems [6], where transmit-
ter and receiver can be a long way away from each other, two cases have to be taken
into account:
(1) A common time reference is needed, because the round trip delay of the radar sig-
nal has to be determined. In this case receiver and transmitter have to be synchronized
using a GPS system
(2) No common time reference is needed, eg. when performing pure Doppler measure-
ments. In this case the receiving system, i.e. the signal / spectrum analyzer, can be
triggered directly by the received signal. In this case the preamplifier option FSW-B24
is recommended.
The equipment introduced so far is suitable for laboratory conditions or small area
experiments, as demonstrated for example by the "SUV" scenarios. The BBA150 can
provide 56 dBm (400 W) and thus can make tests up to some kilometers along with

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Signal power discussion

sensitivity increasing signal pocessing. However, if experiments need to be extended

beyond, eg. up to some hundred kilometers, more powerful amplifiers are needed to
overcome the path attenuation. Fig. 4-6 shows a typical commercial device for mari-
time applications, where the power requirements for real world radar systems can be
seen.

Fig. 4-6: Commercial maritime device, pulse power and maximum distance

The technical data shows that in order to overcome distances of 60 km a pulse power
of 64 dBm is needed, neglecting radio cross section, most likely supposing big ships
with RCS values more than 30 sqm.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Appendix
MATLAB programs

5 Appendix

5.1 MATLAB programs

This appendix provides description of MATLAB programs going beyond descriptions
already included in the source files. The source files are provided with line numbers in
order to support the descriptions herein given. Therefore it is not possible to get the
source code from this document. However the sources are provided as attachment to
this educational note, refer to [16] for this purpose.

5.1.1 Cross correlation using Barker codes

This program simulates a transmission and reception of a Barker code signal. The
received signal is correlated with the transmitted one in order to find the time delay
between transmit and receive. Fig. 5-1 and Fig. 5-2 show the program.

Fig. 5-1: Crosscorrelation using Barker codes, part 1 of 2

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MATLAB programs

Lines 8 to 16 provide a replacement for the cross correlation which in MATLAB is nor-
mally available only along with the Signal Processing Toolbox. In order to run the pro-
gram in standard MATLAB without the need of additional tool boxes, lines 8 to 16 need
to be stored in an extra file "crossm.m" .

Fig. 5-2: Crosscorrelation using Barker codes, part 2 of 2

The appropriate MATLAB function "crossm" is called in line 57 of the main program.
Lines 29 to 34 create and plot the transmitted signal. Lines 34 to 41 simulate the
reception with attenuation (line 44) and noise (46) . The crosscorrelation finally is cal-
culated and plotted in lines 57 to 64. Finally the maximum is determined and printed
(lines 66, 67). Fig. 1-2 of this document has been created using this MATLAB code.
The curve shapes are changing from call to call because of the noise of the receive
function. (line 46).
In order to implement this method with instruments this example provides basic hints
how to implement an appropriate system for instance according to Fig. 1-1. Up to line
41 the base band signal is calculated for a signal generator, eg. SMBV, where it is
BPSK modulated and transmitted. After reception of the reflected signal it is demodula-
ted, eg. by FSW and FSW-B7 and then stored into the vector "r". Finally it is postpro-
cessed according to lines 57 to 67, yielding the time delay and thus the distance to the

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MATLAB programs

object detected by radar. Because lines 43 to 55 are simulating the transmit/receive

path, this code section is not used anymore when the system is implemented with
instruments, similar to Fig. 1-1.
Chapter 5.1.3 of this educational note provides a complete MATLAB example, showing
how to perform modulation and demodulation of the signals, including instrument pro-
gramming.
The crosscorrelation function according to Fig. 5-1, lines 8 to 16 provides a straightfor-
ward time domain based method to demonstrate the principle of pulse compression.
There is another method described in the literature, eg. [8], pg. 299 using a "correlation
processor" based on frequency domain calculations. This method performs a FFT on
both input signals and then retransforms the multiplied signal back into the time
domain by means of Inverse FFT (IFFT). This can be important when implementing
pulse compression systems. However, a technical evaluation with a detailed compari-
son of advantages and drawbacks of both methods is going beyond the scope of this
document.

5.1.2 Pulse power scenarios

The various power scenarios from chapter 4 have been calculated with a MATLAB pro-
gram shown as excerpt in figures 5-3 and 5-4 below. One scenario out of six in total is
shown in Fig. 5-4. Fig. 5-3 shows the header of the program where the specific sce-
nario is selected. The scenario to be calculated is chosen in the lines 15 to 20 by
uncommenting the appropriate line. Actually 'SUV_with_amp' is active.

Fig. 5-3: Excerpt of power scenarios calculation, part 1 of 2

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MATLAB programs

This scenario is calculated in the lines 51 to 69. Lines 51 to 65 set up all parameters
according to the scenario. The radar equation is coded in line 67. Line 69 is used to
print the result to the console, because there is no semicolon at the end of the line. The
entire program including all six scenarios is available in [16].

Fig. 5-4: Excerpt of power scenarios calculation, part 2 of 2

Further scenarios can be added by just copying additional 'case' clauses into the
switch / end boundary as shown in the figure.

5.1.3 Closed loop radar

According to chapter 2.2 a simple loop of transmitter, test path / test device and
receiver has been implemented. For special cases the received and demodulated sig-
nal can be used as modulation base for followup transmissions, either in original or
jammed version. Fig. 5-5 shows the main part of the appropriate MATLAB code. In
addition to the software main part, there are four additional MATLAB functions needed
as called in lines 32, 36, 41 and 46. This chapter provides a look into the main part and
the function "Setup_SMx". The whole set of programs is available along with the edu-
cational note at hand and can be downloaded from the internet [16] . As indicated in
Fig. 2-2 one MATLAB Instrument Control toolbox license is needed to control the
instruments in the Tx and the Rx paths. After having installed the system according to
Fig. 2.2 and 2.4 the software can be directly started and is expected to provide results
simliar to Fig. 2.3.
Lines 11 to 16 of the main part provide remote control IDs for various instruments the
software has been tested with. Lines 20 to 23 define three global parameters which are
used throughout the entire program, functions included. By means of the parameters
the operating frequency and the transmit level of the generator can be defined globally.
Line 27 defines the bit pattern for the BPSK modulation of the signal, which is transmit-

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MATLAB programs

ted and received. The function "Get_Bits" is used for demodulation. The transmitted bit
sequence as well as the received one are both displayed in Fig. 2-3.

Fig. 5-5: Main program of the closed loop radar application, part 1 of 2

Fig. 5-6: Main program of the closed loop radar application, part 2 of 2

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MATLAB programs

Lines 29 to 46 provide the calls to the four functions being detailed in the upcoming
text.

5.1.3.1 Setup_SMx

This function provides the setup of the transmitting device. Various types of R&S gen-
erators have been tested, eg. from the SMW and SMBV familiy. Fig. 5-7 and 5-8 show
the complete listing of the function's MATLAB code.

Fig. 5-7: Generator setup for the closed loop radar application, part 1 of 2

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MATLAB programs

Lines 26 and 27 show the setup of generator frequency and power according to the
appropriate global variables defined in the main program. The MATLAB instrument
programming via "rs_send_command" and "rs_send_query" is typical for "MATLAB
Toolkit" instrument programming according to Fig. 3-1. The MATLAB Toolkit is
explained in detail in [13].

Fig. 5-8: Generator setup for the closed loop radar application, part 2 of 2

Lines 26 to 49 show the SCPI commands in lite grey text color as being sent to the
instrument. They are described in the operating manual of the instrument. Lines 37 to
44 show the programming of the Markers output as available on the "User1" and
"User2" output connectors. Both outputs provide the same signal, one is intended to
trigger the test receiver, the other can be used to trigger an oscilloscope in order to
observe the baseband IQ-signals of the generator.

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MATLAB programs

5.1.3.2 Setup_FSx

The receiver side is programmed in a similar way using the MATLAB Toolkit [13]. Fig.
5-9 and 5-10 show the complete listing of the MATLAB code.

Fig. 5-9: Receiver setup for the closed loop radar application, part 1 of 2

Fig. 5-10: Receiver setup for the closed loop radar application, part 2 of 2

Even though [13] is called "Toolkit ... for Signal Generators", the basic instrument pro-
gramming calls "rs_send_command" and "rs_send_query" can be used for other instru-
ments also. Therefore the same instrument programming interface is also used for the
receiving side, i.e. for instruments from the FSxx families as shown in the listing in Fig.
5-9 and 5-10. In lines 22 and 23 frequency and level are set according to the appropri-
ate global parameters. The instrument operation is performed based upon the light
grey SCPI commands. Based on line 41 the instrument will perform a trace on the next
upcoming trigger signal appearing at the trigger input connector of the device. The

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MATLAB programs

function ends with one valid demodulated signal in the display memory which is read
by function "TraceFile.m".

5.1.3.3 TraceFile

This function reads the trace data from the receiver and stores it in a MATLAB compat-
ible format. The filename is specified via an input parameter of the function, refer to
Fig. 5-5 and 5-6, line 18 and line 41.

5.1.3.4 GetBits

This function finally retrieves the bit pattern using the IQ-constellation diagram and
plots the results into a MATLAB stairs diagram. The function is called in the main pro-
gram, Fig. 5-6, line 46. The function returns the resulting bit pattern, which can be used
to calculate a jamming code or any other sequence to be retransmitted to the flying
object.

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Appendix
References

5.2 References

[1] Pozar David M., 2005, Microwave Engineering, third edition, WILEY, ISBN
978-0-471-44878-5
[2] Merrill I. Skolnik (Editor in Chief), 1990, radar Handbook, Second Edition McGraw-
Hill, ISBN 0-07-057913-X
[3] Heuel, 2013, "Radar Waveforms for A&D and Automotive Radar", White Paper,
R&S Application Note Nr. 239, available from http://www. rohde-schwarz.com/appnote/
1MA239
[4] Naseef, Minihold, Bednorz, 2013, "Testing S-Parameters on Pulsed Radar Power
Amplifier Modules", R&S Application Note Nr. 126, available from http://www.rohde-
schwarz.com/appnote/1MA126, video available for download
[5] Bues, Minihold, 2012, "Overview of Tests on Radar Systems and Components",
R&S Application Note Nr. 127, available from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/appnote/
1MA127
[6] Minihold, Bues, 2012, "Introduction to Radar System and Component Tests", R&S
Application Note Nr. 207, available from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/appnote/
1MA207
[7] R&S®ZVA network analyzer basics part 4: Amplifier gain and matching, YouTube
Video, 21.2.2012, available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B7tS-Mj3BU ,
retrieved at July 24th, 2014
[8] Mahafza, Bassem R., 2005, Radar Systems Analysis and Design Using MATLAB,
Second Edition, Chapman & Hall, ISBN 1-58488-532-7
[9] Radar Tutorial #1: Demonstrating radar principles using a vector network analyzer,
YouTube Video Series / 1 of 5 items, 12.6.2014, available from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISkPcv7C_Uk&list=UUoJfm2BU72j699FH3IUr3mg,
retrieved at July 24th, 2014
[10] Tröster-Schmid C.,2013, Simulating Fading with R&S® Vector Signal Genera-
tors, R&S Application Note Nr. 1GP99, available from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/
appnote/1GP99
[11] Heuel, Schmitt, 2014, Rohde & Schwarz webinar: Analysis of FMCW radar sig-
nals in automotive applications, available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8qaCSQ83ZyU&list=UUoJfm2BU72j699FH3IUr3mg
[12] R&S® Pulse Sequencer Software, Rohde & Schwarz, 2012, available from http://
www.rohde-schwarz.com/en/software/smbvk6/
[13] T.Röder, C.Tröster, 2013, MATLAB Toolkit for R&S® Signal Generators, R&S
Application Note Nr. 1GP60, available from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/appnote/
1GP60
[14] Wendler, Wolfgang, 2014, Seamless realtime analysis of frequency hopping with
the R&S®FSW, R&S NEWS 210/14, pg. 28, available from http://cdn.rohde-

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Appendix
References

schwarz.com/pws/dl_downloads/dl_common_library/dl_news_from_rs/magazin/
NEWS_210_150dpi_english.pdf
[15] R&S®SMW200A, June 2014, Vector Signal Generator, Specifications 02.02,
available from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/en/ , search tag "SMW200A", Brochures
and Data Sheets
[16] Bues, 2014, Generation and Analysis of Pulsed Radar Signals, R&S Application
Note Nr. 1MA234, available from October 2014, http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/
appnote/1MA234
[17] Wikipedia, "Barker code", available on "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barker_code",
retrieved at August 5th, 2014
[18] Dr. Steffen Heuel, 11.2014, "Real-time Radar Target Generation", R&S Applica-
tion Note Nr. 1MA256, available from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com/appnote/1MA256
[19] R&S® FSW Signal and Spectrum Analyzer Specifications, Rohde & Schwarz,
2014, available from http://cdn.rohde-schwarz.com/pws/dl_downloads/
dl_common_library/dl_brochures_and_datasheets/pdf_1/FSW_dat-
sw_en_5214-5984-22_v1000.pdf, retrieved at August 14th, 2014

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Pulsed RADAR signal generation Rohde & Schwarz

6 Rohde & Schwarz

Rohde & Schwarz is an independent group of companies specializing in electronics. It
is a leading supplier of solutions in the fields of test and measurement, broadcasting,
radiomonitoring and radiolocation, as well as secure communications. Established
more than 80 years ago, Rohde & Schwarz has a global presence and a dedicated
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R&S® is a registered trademark of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG. Trade names are trademarks of the
owners.

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