Contrast pulsed radar with continuous-wave radar and give a typical application for each.

Contrast pulsed radar with continuous-wave radar and give a typical application for each.

• A. Pulsed radar transmits continuous wave to measure velocity; CW transmits pulses to measure range.
• B. Pulsed radar transmits discrete pulses to measure range; CW transmits continuously and primarily measures velocity via Doppler; example: pulsed for air traffic control, CW for speed measurement.
• C. Pulsed radar uses pulses for both range and velocity; CW uses frequency modulation for both.
• D. Pulsed radar cannot measure range; CW only measures range.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how each type of radar extracts information: range from the time it takes for a pulse to travel to the target and back, versus velocity from the Doppler shift of a continuously transmitted signal. In pulsed radar, short energy bursts are sent and the receiver captures the echoes. The time between sending a pulse and receiving its echo is used to calculate distance, since distance is proportional to the round-trip travel time of the radar signal. The short pulse also gives range resolution, and the pulse repetition frequency influences how many targets can be tracked and how often updates arrive. A typical application is air traffic control, where knowing the distance to aircraft is essential for safe separation and surveillance. Continuous-wave radar transmits a signal continuously, so there isn’t a natural reference point in time to measure range from a single echo. It excels at detecting velocity through Doppler shift—the change in frequency of the received signal caused by target motion. Because of this, CW Doppler radar is widely used for speed measurement, such as police radar guns that estimate vehicle speed. So, the statement that pulsed radar uses discrete pulses to measure range and that continuous-wave radar transmits continuously and primarily measures velocity via Doppler captures the fundamental contrast and the typical applications.

The main idea is how each type of radar extracts information: range from the time it takes for a pulse to travel to the target and back, versus velocity from the Doppler shift of a continuously transmitted signal.

In pulsed radar, short energy bursts are sent and the receiver captures the echoes. The time between sending a pulse and receiving its echo is used to calculate distance, since distance is proportional to the round-trip travel time of the radar signal. The short pulse also gives range resolution, and the pulse repetition frequency influences how many targets can be tracked and how often updates arrive. A typical application is air traffic control, where knowing the distance to aircraft is essential for safe separation and surveillance.

Continuous-wave radar transmits a signal continuously, so there isn’t a natural reference point in time to measure range from a single echo. It excels at detecting velocity through Doppler shift—the change in frequency of the received signal caused by target motion. Because of this, CW Doppler radar is widely used for speed measurement, such as police radar guns that estimate vehicle speed.

So, the statement that pulsed radar uses discrete pulses to measure range and that continuous-wave radar transmits continuously and primarily measures velocity via Doppler captures the fundamental contrast and the typical applications.