Title :
The 500 kW CW X-band Goldstone Solar System Radar
Author :
Freiley, A. ; Quinn, R. ; Tesarek, T. ; Choate, D. ; Rose, R. ; Hills, D. ; Petty, S.
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
Abstract :
In recent years the Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) has undergone significant improvements in performance in the areas of increased transmitter power and increased receiver sensitivity. An overview of the radar system and each of these improvements are discussed. The transmitter was upgraded with two new state-of-the-art 250 kW X-band klystrons which increased the radiated power from 360 kW to 460 kW (1.1 dB). The microwave receiver system was improved by cryogenically cooling a major portion of the receive feed components, reducing the receiver noise temperature from 18.0 K to 14.7 K (0.9 dB). Plans for future improvements are discussed.<>
Keywords :
klystrons; low-temperature techniques; radar receivers; radar systems; radar transmitters; radiotelescopes; 460 to 500 kW; 8.51 GHz; CW radar; Cassegrain antenna; Goldstone Solar System Radar; SHF; X-band; cryogenic cooling; klystrons; microwave receiver system; Airborne radar; Feeds; Frequency; Klystrons; Moon; Radar antennas; Radar tracking; Radio transmitters; Solar system; Spaceborne radar;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave Symposium Digest, 1992., IEEE MTT-S International
Conference_Location :
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-0611-2
DOI :
10.1109/MWSYM.1992.187924
