A police K-band radar is operating, with transmit power of 1000 Watts and antenn

Question

A police K-band radar is operating, with transmit power of 1000 Watts and antenna gain of 300 in linear units. The radar unit is designed to detect a target with a radar cross-section (RCS) of 6 sq. meters and its receiver can detect a signal with a minimum power of 10 pico Watts. A car is travelling at 100 mph (or 160kph) towards the police radar unit. The driver is using an inexpensive radar detector unit that has an antenna gain of 10 in linear units and a sensitivity of 10 micro Watts. (a) What is the maximum range of the police radar unit? (b) How far away can the car's radar detector receiver detect the police radar? (c) Does the driver have enough time to react and avoid the ticket?

Explanation / Answer

Different models of Police Radar have different ranges... A top of the line Radar, generally used by Highway Patrol, has a Range varying from 3/4 of a mile to over 2 miles. Less expensive units are from 1/2 to 1 mile. However, most officers will "track" a target vehicle for several seconds before accepting a reading from the Radar, so the EFFECTIVE range is about 1/2 to 3/ 4 mile.

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