Design and implementation of HPRF stepped frequency radar echo simulator

A HPRF stepped frequency radar echo simulator for performance evaluation and test of radar system is introduced in this paper. The echo model of HPRF stepped frequency radar is analyzed, and its expression, considering range ambiguity and relation between intermediate frequency bandwidth and range window, is given. This paper proposed an implement scheme of HPRF stepped frequency radar echo simulator based on DAC chip AD9736. The simulator can generate kinds of radar baseband and intermediate frequency waveforms realtime, including clutters and noise if needed. It also supports data replay and provides common digital interface such as Ethernet, RS422 etc. So the simulator has the feature of universal usage. Finally, testing result demonstrates the effectiveness of the simulator.