RADAR questions?

[drumminpilot]

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where are the antennas usually located? ...airports? hilltops?


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One of the ones around here is about a mile or so off the airport on top of a hill, another one is on a tower at the airport.

A question: Can ATC turn on a filter for traffic thats on the ground? I thought I remember one of the tower guys here telling me they could.....

 

[mikek123]

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which brings me to another question: where are the antennas usually located?

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I know alot of them are located at the airport usually on top of a building. In Daytona the radar is about 5 miles nw of the field. I guess it just depends on teh surroundings of the airport and how much room they have to put up a radar.

 

[reaperman]

They can see you on the ground at OLS. "They" being the DEA and/or anyone else who's supposed to watch the Mexican border. If you are on the ground at OLS, about to taxi for takeoff, you are advised to have your transponder reporting altitude before you get moving.

They don't need to worry about, or check out a contact that they've seen motionless or just coming off the ground at a friendly airport. But if they first notice you flying low in a small plane five miles from the border, they might have to take an interest in you.I don't know if the equipment is in the balloon tethered thirty miles East, or in planes that patrol the border.

 

[pavelump]

When I landed in Valdosta, GA the ground/tower controller said, "Taxi to the ramp. And you can turn your transponder off." Ooops. Boy did I feel like a boob.

Dave

 

[eodfe]

On a slow morning at APA (not very often) After runup I turned on my transponder and tower without me calling and saying ready for takeoff, cleared me for takeoff.

 

[chunk75]

RADAR energy is line of sight with limited OTH (over the horizon) capability. The ability to see over the horizon is directly linked to the power and band of the set. The lower the frequency, the farther OTH the set can see. The transponder makes a BIG return, so it's easier than a skin paint. Sitting on the ground, your skin paint is nothing more than clutter...like a tree or a house. Ignored by the operator or filtered out by the set if it's an advanced one.
Some sets also have speed gates....it'll ignore all returns slower than XX knots (set by the operator). I don't think ATC would do this often (helo's, ya know).

The ability for ATC to see your transponder on the ground depends on the type of RADAR, distance from the antenna, and the terrain between you and the antenna.

Chunk

 

[Brandon]

I never turn the transponder on ALT until I taxi onto the runway out of courtesy for ATC and anyone that has TCAS. It is really annoying flying into a busy airport with constant traffic alerts from the tcas and having to figure out which targets are on the ground and which are potential conflicts.

 

[H46Bubba]

Chunk must be using his mad AW skills! Did you fly in bravos or foxtrots?

 

[chunk75]

Dude! I'm no rotorhead...flew S-3's and P-3's. Preferred the Hoover, for obvious reasons...

 

[H46Bubba]

Sorry about that. I'm used to the helo AW's since they are more prevelant than fixed wing guys. Oh that's right, they kicked you all out of the S-3 community and you had to migrate to the P-3 cummunity in droves. Yeah I'm sure it sucked to fly around and be the Texaco Man all day. I wanted to be an S-3 AW, but I didn't get my #1 choice and had to go to my #2, AMS A school. The S-3 will be gone in two years anyways. Free up hangar space for the new combined HS/HSL squadrons.