Calibration of portable FM-CW Doppler radar profilers with an artificial target

Two portable mono-static FM-CW Doppler radar profiler systems have been calibrated using a continuously rotating corner reflector. The front-ends of both radars apply semiconductors for the generation of the transmitted power. The portable 24 GHz profiler´s aim is to record and investigate precipitation close to the ground. The 94 GHz profiler was developed for cloud investigation from the ground and from a research aircraft. The calibrations showed that the 24 GHz rain profiler is sensitive enough to fulfill its purpose. The 94 GHz profiler lacks the required sensitivity to date. Both radar systems will undergo major design revisions to gain higher system sensitivities.