Detection Performance Evaluation of the ASDE-3 Using Fixed Frequency and Frequency-Agile Operation

7500824PDFTech ReportDOT-TSC-FAA-81-08FAA-RD-81-41Airport operationsAirport surface traffic controlRadarFrequency (Electromagnetism)Detection and identification devicesUnited States. Federal Aviation AdministrationBishop, G.Kuhn, J.Bloo, P. J.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)NTL-AVIATION-Airports and FacilitiesNTL-AVIATION-Air Traffic ControlVolpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterThe ASDE-3 (Airport Surface Detection Equipment) Radar design has many features to enhance operational usefulness. The purpose of all these features is to provide a better airport surface surveillance display for the control power tower cab. One of these features is the use of frequency agility, the transmission at a different frequency within a frequency band during each radar transmit time. The function of this feature is to improve the detection performance of the ASDE radar and thereby improve the quality of the information presented on the operational display. The use of frequency agility reduces image breakup of aircraft on the display and, in rainy weather, allows the display of ground traffic during much heavier precipitation than achievable with fixed frequency operation. This report discusses the role of the ASDE in airport surface traffic control, and the theory of frequency agility benefits, and gives the empirical results obtained during field experiments using the ASDE-3 engineering model test bed