Weather radar basics

In the late 1800`s there were many people around the world experimenting with radio waves and how to use them to detect objects. Many of these experiments fell into obscurity or did not obtain any customer interest.

It was first during World War II that RADAR`s was used and further developed as a method to detect the presence of ships and aircraft (the military considered weather targets as noise). The use of radar for weather observations occurred by an accident, where the analyst noted in periods of heavy weather that the radar would return strange signals. Investigation into this phenomenon resulted in the discovery that these echoes were returns from the precipitation, unmasking a further use for the technology. 

The development and advancement of technology can take a bizarre path through the history of civilization. A technology that was developed for war has evolved into something that`s taken for granted in peace time. Radar was developed as a means to track incoming enemy aircraft and find ground targets to bomb. It is now used to monitor commercial air traffic, track weather patterns, and aid in general navigation.

Radar probably saved tens of thousands of lives during World War II and now it is used to provide basic comforts to society like telling us when it is going to rain or snow.

Although not using sound waves but short-wave microwaves, the principle of a Radar is the same as that of the sound. When in contact with an object, the waves reverberate and thus, the distance to the target and its direction can be accurately calculated. This information is then put in the form of visual data on a screen so it becomes readable. Let's suppose that a wave is sent to one specific direction.

The wave passes through its environment in a straight line, but when it hits an object on its path, it is reflected and part of this wave returns to its original position. This phenomenom is called reflection. It is the time it takes for this echo to return that will help to accurately determine the distance at which the object is located. Bearing to a target is determined by the direction from which a reflected echo returns. Since we know the direction the antenna is facing when the Radar energy is transmitted, we know the bearing of targets in the path of that beam of energy. The sharper the beam, the more accurately the bearing of a target can be determined.