A DIGITAL STORAGE WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE SIGNAL PROCESSOR

The Naval Research Laboratory is in the process of obtaining a new 60-db Dynamic Range Digital Processor for use with its over-the-horizon radar. It consists of the following subunits: (1) input control and general process controller, (2) digital core memory, (3) analog scanning filters and (4) dual display unit. It will operate at nominal PRF's of 180, 120, 90, 60, 45, 22-1/2 and 11-1/4 pulses per second with storage times of 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 and 0.625 seconds in the doppler range mode and 110, 160, 220, 330, 440 and 880 seconds in the doppler time mode. An analog tape unit and a 12-bit digital tape unit which records up to four receiver channels are available at all times. These records can be analyzed with complete flexibility of analyzing parameters at a later time. The operational control of the processor is inserted in the process controller in the form of a magnetic or punch paper tape program and the general operational concept can be varied within wide limits by writing new programs. The day-to-day radar parameters and corresponding processor parameters are entered by use of typewriter control at the display unit. The displays will present data in both doppler-range and doppler-time formats and in addition will give amplitude versus range or time at manually selected doppler frequencies. A coherent video target simulator of high quality is included to provide a processor check and to aid in evaluation.