PULSE-COMPRESSION WITH VERY-LOW SIDELOBES IN AN AIRBORNE RAIN MAPPINGRADAR

Pulse compression allows a substantial reduction in the peak transmitt ed power of a radar and is attractive for spaceborne remote sensing ap plications. In the case of a downward looking rain measuring radar, ho wever, the range sidelobes associated with surface return can mask ret urn from rain and must be kept to a minimum. Here, we describe the pul se compression system for the NASA/JPL Airborne Rain Mapping Radar. Th is system uses time-domain weighting of the transmitted pulse and is a ble to achieve a range sidelobe level of -55 dB or better in flight te sts. This is significantly lower than other values reported in the ope n literature.