The impact of reference channel SNR on targets detection by passive radars using DVB-T signals

Passive radar uses signals from two channels to calculate the cross-ambiguity function: reference and surveillance. In most analyses only the surveillance channel is fully modeled with multipath components and noise, whereas the reference channel is assumed to be ideal - noiseless and without multipath. This paper highlights the case where a reference channel is distorted and has low SNR. Such a situation is common when a transmitter located far away is used for illumination. Additionally, an interesting alternative is analyzed, where a signal from a single channel only is used for target detection. The theoretical considerations have been verified using real data.