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Chapter 4 How to Interpret the PPI Screen
4.1 Height of and the Distance to the Target
The maximum distance to a target that can be observed with a radar depends not only on the
power of the radar's transmitter, beam width of the scanner unit, and the receiver's sensitivity but
also on height of a target, distance to a target and height of scanner unit line etc. This is because
the radio wave emitted by a radar runs straight, undergoing no influence by the curvature of the
earth surface.
[Distance and Target]
For example, when the scanner unit lies 3 meters above the sea level, the radar can detect and
display an island with a height of 10 meters at a distance 10 NM away from the scanner unit
position but cannot detect and display an island with a height of 5 meters at the same distance.
This is theoretically true but does not always hold, depending on weather conditions.
For a target located 10 NM away to be displayed on a radar, it theoretically needs to be 7.6
meters or higher. Any targets lower than 7.6 meters cannot be displayed on a radar.
● ● ● ● The target may be unable to be observed when the height of a scanner unit or an
target is low.
10 NM
h
(meters)
1
Scanner unit height
a
=2.23√h
1
1
a
=2.23√h
2
2
a
+ a
=2.23 (√h
+ √h
)
1
2
1
2
a
, a
：Unit [Nautical miles]
1
2
h
, h
：Unit [Meters]
1
2
a
+a
(NM)
1
2
Distance
87
Island not displayed on the screen
10 NM
h
(meters)
2
Target height
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