High-Resolution Portable Impulse Radar

This paper describes an impulse (short pulse) radar with high distance resolution. The radar is intended for short-range (< 2 m) detection of subsurface objects or boundaries. The primary application is detection of rot in 1iving trees and power or telephone 1ine poles but many applications can also be found for example from construction industry. The length of the impulse of this radar can be selected between 0.2 to 0.35 nano-seconds corresponding to a distance resolution of 3-5.3 cm in air. The reflected waveform is measured with a sampling type receiver. The waveform is digitized, processed in a microcomputer with powerful signal processing capabilities and displayed on an intensity display as a two-dimensional image. The equipment consists of a high-frequency hand-held unit and a control unit (see Figure 1). The equipment is portable with light weight and low power consumption.