Alternating Dual-Pulse, Dual-Frequency Techniques for Range and Velocity Ambiguity Mitigation on Weather Radars

Abstract

This paper introduces a family of alternating dual-pulse, dual-frequency (ADPDF) techniques. These are based on frequency diversity and are proposed as a means to mitigate range and velocity ambiguities on Doppler weather radars. ADPDF techniques are analyzed theoretically and through simulated and real weather data collected with a prototype C-band radar. Analogous to single-frequency, multiple-pulse-repetition-time (mPRT) techniques, such as staggered or triple PRT, it is demonstrated that ADPDF techniques can extend the maximum unambiguous velocity beyond what is achievable with uniform sampling. However, unlike mPRT techniques, ADPDF techniques exhibit better statistical performance and, more importantly, may be designed to preserve uniform sampling on one of the frequency channels, thus avoiding some of the difficulties associated with processing nonuniformly sampled data.