Dual-use multistatic HF ocean radar for current mapping and ship tracking

Abstract

A multistatic high-frequency (HF) ocean radar is proposed that could be used both for surface current mapping and ship tracking. Through fine tuning the carrier frequency of the transmitting signals, echoes produced by different transmitters could be separated in the baseband. Shore-based Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are used for receiving antenna calibration and ship tracking result verification. A two-month experiment was conducted on the coast of the North China Sea from October to December in 2013. The primary data processing results prove the effectiveness of the radar system.