SkyRadar Blog | Radar Training Systems Online Radars - SkyRadar

Customers' ATC Choice - The cost-effective Training Radar Package for ATCO & ATSEP Requirements

Written by Dennis Vasilev | Aug 12, 2020

Previously we suggested a reference configuration of a radar training system for ATC academies. Motivated by the positive reception of this setup, we turned it into a special-priced package solution.

We build this reference configuration around our 8 GHz pulse radar, as x-band is the typical band for long range radars. It comes with a horn antenna and a parabolic reflector - both with adjustable inclination.  

Get the price details for the 8 GHz Customers' ATC Choice PACKAGE.

The 8 GHz NextGen Pulse Radar

The NextGen Pulse Radar is a true close range pulse radar with a range resolution better than 10 cm, a range up to 25 m and a pulse width of 0.5 nano-seconds. With the parabolic reflector, the azimuth is < 10°.

The system operates with the SkyRadar FreeScopes Software which provides many scopes (A-Scopes, B-Scopes, PPI), control interfaces and filters. The radar allows for highest flexibility in the learning process, with a very low peak pulse output power (-0.7 to 6.3 dBm). 

The radar transceiver is mounted into the horn antenna and can be connected alternatively to a parabolic reflector. The antennas are hardwired on the transceiver card. The transceiver is connected to a microcomputer for Digital Signal Processing-

Overview of some e key technical features:

  • Range Resolution: better than 10 cm
  • Range: up to 25 m
  • Tx center frequency (ETSI / KCC) 7.29 GHz / 8.748 GHz
  • Tx bandwidth(ETSI / KCC) 1.4 GHz / 1.5 GHz
  • Pulse Width: 0.5 nsec
  • Peak Pulse output power (ETSI): -0.7 - 6.3 dBm
  • Rx sampling rate: 23.3 GS/s
 

The radar is placed on a Tripod with implemented Servo-Motor and Slip Ring.

Being connected to SkyRadar's CloudServer allows many students to access the radar concurrently. Even remotely.

The server hardware builds on a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Server with a LINUX-based operating system, WLAN to connect with an unlimited amount of SkyRadar sensors or simulators and an Ethernet bridge to interface the academy network.

Virtual Experimentation Environment Optimized on ATC

The packaged solution contains 3 integrated modules of SkyRadar's FreeScopes virtual control center. 

  • FreeScopes Basic I
  • FreeScopes Basic II
  • FressScopes ATC


NextGen 8 GHz FreeScopes Basic I

In FreeScopes Basic I, the users are enabled to do manipulations independently on their computers. Free floating panels of the FreeScopes Control Center allow each student to set up his own signal conversion chain, analyzing raw data, data after FFT, STC etc. 

It is a basic configuration of a Virtual Radar Control Center, allowing  for control and visualization of the  8 GHz pulse radar

The principles of Radar Systems can be trained.

The data can be visualized through included virtual instruments:

  • A-Scopes
  • B-Scopes
  • PPI

The Control Center reads out I and Q data, from SkyRadar's 8 GHz NextGen Pulse Radar.

It includes several controls such as

  • Tx Power Control
  • FFT
  • Static Threshold
  • STC
  • Contrast

The users are enabled to independently run experiments on their computers. 

Thanks to a high resolution dual channel sampler, FreeScopes allows to analyze the I and Q data independently and in an integrated version.

Also, there is to our best knowledge no other training radar, which gives each student the possibility to conduct the Fast Fourier Transform of I/Q live date independently on each computer.


NextGen 8 GHz FreeScopes Basic II

The second included module is FreeScopes Extension Basic II.

The Module provides a set of features including:

  • MTI (Moving Target Indication)
  • C-FAR
  • RCS
  • Windows Functions ( Hann, Hamming, Blackman and more) 
  • Spectrogram

Moving target indication is already a great means of separating the target from the background. C-FAR is a dynamic tool to filter out clutter. The system also estimates the Radar Cross Section of the targets. 

The windows functions offer additional possibilities for detection of transient events and time-averaging of frequency spectra.

Solutions like the Spectrogram allow to dive deeper in the analysis of the composition of the wave.


NextGen FreeScopes ATC

This module is very close to the working environments of ATCOs and ATSEP. This is important for ATCO and ATSEP students in the frame of their qualification based on ICAO Doc 4444

 

The FreeScopes ATC Module provides a set of features including:

  • Radar Plots
  • Radar Tracks
  • Enhanced MTI
  • Moving Target Detection (MTD)
  • State of the art tracking techniques
  • The visualization is done in compliance to the standards of ICAO and EUROCONTOL.

It makes the step from the theoretic understanding of the radar image to typical conventions on how target plots and tracks are displayed.

The included features are a landmark in practical radar training as they are missing in most of the training radars available in the market. But being qualified on plots and tracks is essential for the surveillance streams in ICAO 10057 oriented qualification.

Get the Special Price Package

Our goal is to make ATC-oriented training accessible to all ATC and Aviation academies. Therefore the ruined the established market prices and offer economical solutions. Independent of that we can laboratory packages optimized on your requirements.