Interference in radar refers to unwanted electromagnetic signals that disrupt the normal operation of the radar system. This interference can come from a variety of sources, including other radar systems, communications devices, electronic equipment, and natural phenomena such as atmospheric disturbances. It can degrade radar performance by causing false targets, loss of target detection and inaccurate measurements.
Interference rejection in radar is the process of minimizing or eliminating unwanted signals that can affect radar performance.
Interference rejection techniques include filtering, frequency hopping, adaptive signal processing, and the use of advanced algorithms to distinguish between the desired radar signal and the interference.
These methods help ensure accurate target detection and measurement even in the presence of interfering signals.
The four categories of radar interference are:
- In-band interference: This occurs when unwanted signals fall within the operating frequency band of the radar, directly affecting its performance.
- Out-of-band interference: This occurs when signals outside the radar’s operating frequency band indirectly affect its performance through harmonics or intermodulation.
- Co-channel interference: This occurs when multiple radar systems operate on the same frequency, leading to mutual interference.
- Adjacent Channel Interference: This occurs when radar systems operating on neighboring frequencies interfere with each other, causing performance degradation.
Radar can interfere with WiFi, especially if the radar system and WiFi operate on overlapping frequency bands, such as the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands commonly used for WiFi.
This interference can disrupt WiFi signals, leading to reduced network performance and connectivity issues. Conversely, WiFi devices can also interfere with radar systems, affecting their detection and measurement capabilities. To mitigate this, frequency coordination and spectrum management are used to minimize interference between radar and WiFi systems