Radar Timing and Control System
This project seeks to specify the requirements for a radar timing and control system suitable for use with coherent and incoherent scatter radar systems. This timing system will be constructed using off the shelf hardware where possible. Custom hardware will only be created for the interface and distribution components because these will largely be unique to a particular radar system.
Overview of Radar Timing and Control
For radar systems like the Millstone Hill Radar it is necessary to generate an uninterrupted stream of digital control information. This information is typically transmitted to radar subsystems using differential TTL or fiber optic signalling. This information is used to control modulation and gating of the transmitter system as well as RF blanking switches and waveform generation and modulation. This information must be glitch free and precisely synchronized in time in order to operate the radar system properly. During typical operation a set of timing bits are generated repeatedly along with a modulated waveform in what is termed a timing mode. Several different timing sweeps may be interleaved in time or cycled between in a preprogramed sequence. Commands to change this sequence are delivered to the timing hardware from the control software and these may occur asynchronously. On delivery of such commands the timing hardware changes the timing sweeps in a glitch free manner on completion of the latest sweep. It is also often necessary to set digital control lines in a manner synchronous with timing mode changes or asynchronously during the genera