GROUND-PENETRATING SYNTHETIC PULSE RADAR - DYNAMIC-RANGE AND MODES OF OPERATION

The dominant parameter characterizing a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system is its dynamic range. The dynamic range is indicative of the penetration potential of a given system. It is the purpose of this paper to give an outline of how the dynamic range of radar systems can be calculated and compared. This is done using the radar equation coupled with the concept of a matched filter receiver. The dynamic range of an impulse radar is compared with the dynamic range of a synthetic pulse radar. The conclusion is that a synthetic pulse radar system developed by the authors' organisation has a 40 dB higher dynamic range than that of a commercially available GPR system. The potential dynamic range of the synthetic pulse GPR system is more than 200 dB.