An Introduction to Passive Radar

Book excerpt: Developed by recognized experts in the field, this first-of-its-kind resource introduces the basic principles of passive radar technology and provides an overview of recent developments in this field and existing real passive radar systems. This book explains how passive radar works, how it differs from the active type, and demonstrates the benefits and drawbacks of this novel technology. Properties of illuminators, including ambiguity functions, digital vs. analog, digitally-coded waveforms, vertical-plane coverage, and satellite-borne and radar illuminators are explored. Readers find practical guidance on direct signal suppression, passive radar performance prediction, and detection and tracking. This book provides concrete examples of systems and results, including analog TV, FM radio, cell phone base stations, DVB–T and DAB, HF skywave transmissions, indoor WiFi, satellite-borne illuminators, and low-cost scientific remote sensing. Future developments and applications of passive radar are also presented.