Radar Range Calculator: Determine Target Distance

This page provides information about the radar range calculator, part of a collection of converters and calculators.

Radar Range Calculator

INPUTS:

• Transmit pulse power (peak), watt = 2.5e6
• Gain = 25
• Radar cross section = 1 m^2
• Antenna aperture (meter) = 25
• MDS = 110

OUTPUT:

• Maximum Radar Range = 32.6 meters

In a radar system, the range to a target is readily determined by analyzing the received power of the echo signal.

A simplified equation to illustrate this is:

Pr = Pt / (4 * PI * r^2)

Where:

• Pr is the received power.
• Pt is the peak transmit power.
• r is the distance of the target from the radar (i.e., the radar range).

This equation assumes an isotropic antenna. For a directional antenna, we use a slightly different formula, as shown below and used in the radar range calculator.

Maximum Radar Range Calculator

Another equation for determining the maximum radar range is presented below.

EXAMPLE:

• Assumption: T = 300 Kelvin and K = 1.38e-23

INPUTS:

• Freq(GHz) = 5
• Antenna Diameter = 5 meters
• Radar cross section = 1 m^2
• Peak pulse power = 2.5e6
• Receiver BW (MHz) = 1.6
• NF = 12dB

OUTPUT:

• Maximum Radar Range = 550 Km

Maximum radar range can also be calculated using the following radar equation: