Planetary Radar Implementation and testing

The following are my conception of what is required. Many of the pieces are contract requirements with which I am not completely familiar. This document is not a formal specification, and should not be relied on for any purpose except suggestion. Any corrections and improvements will be appreciated, and should be directed to Mike Nolan

Initial tests

Initially, there are a number of contract requirement tests, which will provide an initial set of required tests:

• Turbine Generator
• Transmitter running into dummy load on the platform

The turbine generator will meet its final acceptance test by providing power to operate the transmitter running into a dummy load.

Radiating tests

There are a few tests that can be run without pointing or focus:

Transmitter test

Can it put out power? Can the turret rotate between Transmit and Receive? This test probably comes under contract requirements.

Requires:

• Transmitter
• Turbine Generator
• Test signal at 2380 MHz
• Interlocks for Transmitter on turret, etc.
• Tertiary in place (don't want a MW wandering around the dome)
• Clear site (no personnel in unsafe areas). This probably means odd hours.

Leakage test

Transmit a signal (tone or spectrum?) and watch leakage into the receiver. This is the first test of a round trip signal through every part except a target. We need some leakage to do closed-loop tests, but we don't want to saturate the receiver, etc. There is some attenuation available upstairs ahead of the fiber (22 dB?), and we need to know if that is sufficient. If the is not enough leakage to do a close loop test, we need to arrange some. Parts of this test may come under contract requirements.

Requires:

• Transmitter test
• S-Band maser
• IF/LO to get the signal down to (260? 30?) MHz
• RI and some filters
• Cover for the receiver during Transmit

Coded closed-loop test

Transmit a coded signal, and return leakage signal back down the signal path to be decoded. This test assures that a correctly coded signal can be cleanly brought through the system and dealt with. This test should really be run with different sampling systems: The hardware decoder, the Radar Interface running into a tape recorder, and the Mk IV Pulsar timing machine, used as a fast sampling system.

Requires:

• Leakage test
• Coding for transmitter
• Decoder and/or fast sampler
• Matched filters for same

Observational Tests

The following tests require a target, and therefore require:

• pointing (at non-sidereal rates) to within 1/2 beam width
• T/R pointing offsets
• Doppler tracking of the IF
• Focus and alignment to within a few dB of final ("A few" depends on the date of the test for availability of bright targets)
• Ephemeris generation and loading into the pointing software
• Turret T/R switching and interlocking

CW Test

Acquire a CW spectrum of a planet (minor or major). There is at least one minor planet observable at a S/N of at least 30 in one day on any day through 1997 April. That's high enough for CW detection and probably ranging. After the equinox, the ecliptic (at midnight) moves south, and there are merely many opportunities. Major planets are also available at various times.

Additional Requirements:

• Leakage test
• Turret switch in about 30s
• Sampling system
• Monitor system with displayed transforms
• Frequency hopping (not essential)

Ranging test

This test will demonstrate the ranging ability, change of bauds, time dilation of the code due to changing range, and the monitor software.

Requirements:

• Closed-Loop test
• Decoder
• A fairly bright target (though pure ranging doesn't require too much)
• A CW observation of the same target
• Turret switch faster than RTT (which is short for a bright target)
• Drifting of timebase
• Fast sampling system for backup (Mk IV Pulsar machine?)
  

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  Last update: 1996 August 14.
  

  Mike Nolan (nolan@naic.edu)