Presentation for the
Working Group
for
Multifunction Phased Array Radar
Douglas Forsyth
Executive Director for Facilities and Strategic Planning
and
December 2006 Chief, Radar Research & Development Division
Outline
• Background
• Funding History
• System Overview
• Data Quality
• Upgrades Completed
• 1st Tornadic Data
Set
• Future Upgrades
Collaborators
James Kimpel
Dusan Zrnic
Ron Ferek
Tom McNellis
Richard Vogt
Jerry Crain
Alan Shapiro
William Benner
John Heimmer
Behind the Scenes
Allen Zahrai, Dick Doviak, Mike Schmidt
and Richard Wahkinney
Bob Staples, John Carter, Igor Ivic
Roger Simer, Brian Frasco, Sheldon Katz,
Tim Maese, Ann Wiser, Steven
Silberstein, Wayne Sabin, Mark Campbell
Russell Cook
Richard Vogt
Susan Sedwick, John Havlicek
Nannette Kalani, Jim Olivo
BCI BCI Jim Melody, Les Lemon, Bob Blasewitz
ms and Software Engineering Systems and Software Engineering
More Behind the Scenes
Mark Benner, Mike Schmidt, Richard
Wahkinney, Kurt Hondl, Allen Zahrai.
Bob Staples, Chris Curtis, Rick Adams,
John Thompson, Dave Priegnitz, Dan
Suppes
Mark Campbell, Tim Maese, Wayne Sabin,
Tim Hughes, John Petree
B. Ballard
Susan Sedwick
Nannette Kalani
Jim Melody, Paul Baumgarder,
Bob Blasewitz, Tim Maese
Additional Collaborators
Qin Xu, Mike Jain
Pam Heinselman, Sebastian Torres
Bob Palmer, Tian-You Yu, Mark Yeary,
Phil Chilson, Guifu Zhang
Gary Mitchell
HISTORY
• NSSL Advance - 1997
– Desire to build a phased-array radar for weather
applications
• Visit by Lockheed-Martin - 1998
• Established collaborations with Office of Naval
Research, Lockheed-Martin, and University of
Oklahoma - 1999
• Added additional partners, NWS Radar
Operations Center, FAA, NOAA, Oklahoma State
Regents for Higher Education, Basic Commerce
Industries
Phased Array Radar Support
FY2000 - 2003
• U.S. Navy ($10M), SPY-1
antenna ($10M)
• NOAA/NWS - WSR-88D
transmitter ($0.4M)
• NOAA/OAR ($1.0M, EP)
• Lockheed Martin ($1.0M in
kind, EP)
• Oklahoma State Regents
($1.0M, EP)
• U. of Oklahoma ($0.5M, EP)
• FAA ($8.0M)
2004 2005 2006 2007 • Navy/NOAA/FAA MOU
NOAA $1M $1M $4M $3M?
FAA
(to NOAA) $.8M $.8M $0M
What is Phased Array?
• Phasing = Timing
• Analogous: Ears & Sound waves
• Array of many Elements
• 4-sided, no moving parts, scanned
Electronically vs. mechanically (WSR-88D)
• Results: Faster Scans, more flexible scans
Phased Array Radar (PAR)
Wavefront
(Plane of equal
phase radiation)
Beam is steered by progressively shifting the phases of the
Beam is conventionally steered by mechanically deflecting
signals radiated by the individual radiators.
the antenna
One Beam Multi-Beam
NWRT Equipment
AN/SPY-1A
Position
AN/SPY-1A Programmer
Antenna (APP)
Environmental
WSR-88D Transmitter
Processor (EP)
Pedestal &
Antenna Pedestal Control
(APC)
Real-Time Controller (RTC)
Receiver/Exciter
Testbed
Control Radome
Center (TCC) Facility
1st Level - NWRT
2nd Level – NWRT Inside Enclosure
Modified Transmitter (3.2 GHz)
Passive Array
Min PRI = 800 msec
Short Pulse = 1.57 msec
Long Pulse = 4.71 msec
Sensitivity = 5.89 db at 50 km
Wavelength = 9.375 cm
Phased Array Antenna Beam width
(Center) = 1.5 deg
Beam width
(+/- 45 deg) = 2.1 deg
Antenna Tilt = 10 deg
Antenna Height = 40 ft
Element
Module
136 modules
32 elements per module
4,352 elements
Environmental Processor (EP)
• SkyComputers
• Ultra SPARC – Host
• 5 SKYbolt II modules each
with 4 PowerPC G4 processors
• CD, hard and removable hard
drive RAID
• Ciprico RAID 648 Gbyte
storage
• Development System – 2
SKYbolt II modules Development
System
Removable
Hard Drive
Operational
System
Matrix PC replacing the
Environmental Processor (EP)
• Matrix PC
• Six Supermicro PCs
– Dual Intel Xeon 2.4Ghz
– 2GB memory
– Linux OS
• Connected to RTC via Systran
SL100 PCI Card
• Myrnet Crossbar Switch
– Direct PC to PC
communication at 2 Ghz
• 3 TB Raid
• 24 Port Network Switch
• One Node currently used to
replace existing EP
Multi-use Aircraft Tracking
• FAA and BCI
development
• Uses Separate
Processor for Data
stream
• Runs simulateously
with Weather Data
collection
2003/11/04 2123 UTC (Refl)
KTLX 0.5 deg NWRT 0.75 deg
2003/11/04 2123 UTC (Vel)
KTLX 0.5 deg NWRT 0.75 deg
NWRT STATUS
• Data Quality Issues Corrected
– Bad Velocities
• Digital receiver filters
• Clear Mode
– Pulse Timing
– Six Degree Phase error
• Engineering Testing Phase Completed
• Fixed STIM download problems
Upgrades Completed
• Backup Generators – Radar Facility and TCC
• Continuous rotation 18 degrees per second
– Volume scan (14 levels) less than 60 seconds
• Improved display system
• Improved User Interface
Current Work
• Continue to learn operational capabilities (i.e.
scan strategies, various processing modes, etc.)
• Collect data for comparisons with WSR-88D and
TDWR during storm season
• Use for various Research Projects
– Transverse winds (NSSL/OU)
– Refractive Index (OU)
– Spectral Signatures of Tornadoes (OU/NSSL)
– Clutter Canceling (NSSL/OU)
– Scan Strategies – Beam Multiplexing (NSSL/OU)
Current Work
• Add Remote Operations (completed, fine tuning)
• Replace EP (completed, along with I/Q
recording)
• Integrate with WDSS-II algorithms and 3-D
displays
• Test Multi-use (FAA/BCI – aircraft tracking)
• Testing beam multiplexing
• Measure Antenna pattern
• Emulate adaptive Volume scans
• Start design of dual-polarized sub-array
Beam Multiplexing
Beam Multiplex
Difference VCP 12
May 29th Comparison
Reflectivity
May 29th Comparison
Velocity
May 29th Comparison
Gridded
1. Diff Times/Accuracy 6. Resolutions 1km
vs. 244m
2. Different Radar
Locations 7. Sensitivity
3. Ground Clutter 8. Calibration errors
4. 2nd Trip 9. Beam Widths
5. Polarization 10. Elevation Angle
11. PRT (Dwells)
Research Agenda (1-2 years)
• Learn Operational capabilities (I.e. scan strategies,
various processing modes, etc.)
• Collect data for comparisons with WSR-88D and TDWR
during storm season
• Use for various Research Projects
• Add Remote Operations (completed, fine tuning)
• Replace EP
• Integrate with WDSS-II algorithms and 3-D displays
• Test Multi-use (FAA – aircraft tracking)
• Implement beam multiplexing
• Start design of dual-polarized sub-array
Future Plans
• Available as National Facility in December
2006
• Adaptive scanning
• Continue to test Multi-use applications
– Wind profiling
– Aircraft tracking
– Chemical/Biological profiling
– Initialization of Models
ROADMAP
2025
WSR-15PWA
Locations
Dual Polarization
2004
2007
2012
2015
THANK YOU
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov
VCP -12
• Elevation Angles
– 0.5
– 0.9
– 1.3
– 1.8
– 2.4
– 3.1
– 4.0
– 5.1
– 6.4
– 8.0
– 10.0
– 12.5
– 15.6
– 19.5
The lowest three angles use "Split Cut" (CS/CD), middle angles use Batch (B), and
higher angles use Contiguous Doppler (CDX) mode.