Practical implementation of a 16-channel C-band phased array radar receiver

This paper presents the practical implementation of a 16 channel, C-band FMCW radar phased array receiver developed for the purpose of imaging flowing avalanches. The phased array is designed for a 30° field of view to give full coverage of an avalanche track. A fully populated, uniform linear array design is achieved using overlapping sub-arrays of 2A spacing, and with 16 elements, the beamwidth of the array is 1.6°. The phased array is arranged on a three layer PCB that is split into four panels due to its large physical width (1.95 m). The array is mounted on plastic pillars screwed to an aluminium base in a watertight radome to provide mechanical strength. Radio absorbent material between the PCB's and the aluminium base prevent back lobe reflections. A continuous ground across the PCB panels is maintained using grounded copper sheet bridges. Initial laboratory measurements of the phased array show that its performance agrees well with predictions.