Product and application summary

Detailed product list

Radar Systems

ATRAD supplies a range of radar systems which are available as turn-key systems suitable for commercial applications and data collection purposes, as well as research radars. Operational parameters and configuration can be customised to suit the application.

The major system types are listed below, with their major applications indicated in the table:

VHF Boundary Layer/Tropospheric (BLT) Wind Profilers
Stratospheric/Tropospheric (ST) Radar
Mesospheric/Stratospheric/Tropospheric (MST) Radar
Meteor Detection Radar (MDR)
MF Radar
Ionospheric Radar (IR)

Note: The modular nature of ATRAD systems is such that Meteor detection capability can be added to many radar configurations at minimal additional cost.

Commercial Applications	BLT	ST/MST	MDR	MF	IR	BR
Wind profiling	x	x	x			x
Temperature profiling	x	x	x			x
Weather forecasting and 'nowcasting'	x					x
Pollution monitoring	x	x				x
Wind profiling at Airports and aircraft landing strips	x	x				x
Rocket launch support	x	x				x
Special event locations	x					x
Weather balloon launch sites and balloon replacement	x	x				x

Research Applications	BLT	ST/MST	MDR	MF	IR	BR
Data collection (for long-term climate record etc)	x	x	x	x	x	x
Wind profiling	x	x	x			x
Temperature profiling	x	x	x			x
Atmospheric and meteorological research	x	x	x	x		x
Ionospheric research		x	x	x	x	x
Meteor astronomy		x	x	x	x	x
Meteor tracking and recording		x	x	x	x	x

Hardware - Transmitters

Transmitters are available as individual transmitter modules for general use or as transmitter sub-systems suitable for incorporation into a radar system.

Solid State
MF, HF, VHF
Power levels from 500W to 80kW or higher depending on requirement
Valve
VHF
Power levels from 20kW to 100kW

Transmitters are also available or can be customised for a wide range of applications including:

HF/SSB Power Amplifiers
CW operation
NMI/MRI applications

Hardware - receivers

Receivers
MF, HF, VHF

Hardware - data acquisition

ATRAD data acquisition systems consist of a WindowsNT-based computer fitted with data acquisition hardware and software. Data acquisition sub-systems are available for incorporation into a new radar system or to upgrade an existing radar system.

APAC (Acquisition Processing And Control)
3 or 4 complex channels, 12-bit
ADAC (Adaptive Data Acquisition and Control)
1-8 complex channels, 14-bit, adaptive analysis

Hardware - Antenna systems

Complete antenna subsystems can be designed, modelled and supplied for MF, HF, and VHF operation. A complete antenna sub-system can include antennas, cabling, splitters/combiners, guying and mounting hardware.

Software

ATRAD radar systems are supplied with a sophisticated Analysis and Display Suite (ADS) developed by ATRAD. This suite supports:

Realtime display and analysis
Offline display and analysis
Data post-analysis

The ADS module supports most data formats commonly used by researchers and operators of radar systems.

Standard Analysis Modules available include:

FCA: Full Correlation Analysis
SCA: Spatial Correlation Analysis
DBS: Doppler Beam Stearing
MET[temp]: METeor temperature analysis
MET[vel]: METeor velocity analysis
MET[Faraday]: METeor Faraday rotation analysis
IDI: Imaging Doppler Interferometry
FDI: Frequency Domain Interferometry
DAE: Differential Absorption Experiment

Services

Maintenance and Support contracts

ATRAD provides ongoing maintenance support services for all of its hardware, software or complete radar systems. ATRAD can also provide maintenance support services for atmospheric radar equipment not provided by ATRAD.

Maintenance contracts can include some or all of the following services:

Helpdesk support
Regular software/firmware upgrade
Scheduled maintenance/calibration
Remote monitoring and trouble-shooting
Remote control and configuration
Data analysis and interpretation
Extended warranty

Maintenance contracts are available for new or existing radar systems and subsystems, including those systems which incorporate hardware originally manufactured by other manufacturers.

System Upgrades

There are many atmospheric radar systems operating in the field which may require upgrading, either to replace equipment that is no longer able to be supported economically, or whose capabilities are not sufficient to meet today's requirements. ATRAD can advise on an upgrade strategy and supply replacement sub-systems to support that upgrade, including:

Antenna systems
Receivers
Data acquisition
Data analysis
Transmitters
Scientific Consulting

ATRAD staff and directors include some of the world's leading researchers in the field of atmospheric physics and, collectively, have published over 100 papers relevant to atmospheric radar technology. In addition, ATRAD has access to a network of researchers in Adelaide University's physics department and a number of other research organizations around the world.

These resources are available on a consultancy basis in the areas of atmospheric and ionospheric physics and meteorological research. They are available for the following purposes:

Experimental design
Radar system specification and/or design
Evaluation or interpretation of scientific data
Academic review
Project specification

Data Analysis, Interpretation and software development

ATRAD can provide the following services:

Data analysis of raw data
Post-analysis of previously analysed data
Data interpretation, drawing upon its own scientific resources as well as those of its associates
For specific applications, development of data analysis and/or post-analysis software modules