Radar-clutter simulator

The simulation of clutter echo return signals for a radar system is accomplished using two sets of diode noise sources, a frequency synthesizer for bandwidth control, multiplexing control, two D/A converters and mixers, a 90-degree splitter, and a summer; the output of the summer being the simulated clutter. The two sets of noise sources each produce a digital encoded controlled bandwidth Gaussian noise signal which is strobed by the multiplexing control unit firstly to the pulse repetition interval of the radar system and secondly to the data rate of the radar system. The two strobed D/A converters convert the two digital noise signals into their analog equivalents. The two separate video channels are required to obtain the Rayleigh noise distribution characteristic of clutter. This distribution results when the analog signals from the D/A converters are multiplied with in-phase and quadrature RF reference frequencies in the two mixers, then summed in the summer.