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Technical Radar Terms
"A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F", "G", "H", "I", "J", "K", "L", "M",
"N", "O", "P", "Q", "R", "S", "T", "U", "V", "W", "X", "Y", "Z"

'Ca' to 'Coh', 'Coi' to 'Cz'

Capture Beam: A wide beam incorporated in capture transmitters of beam rider missile systems to facilitate gaining initial control of a missile immediately after launch.

Carrier-Controlled Approach. A shipboard radar system used to guide aircraft to safe landings in poor visibility conditions.

Carrier Frequency: The frequency of an unmodulated transmitter output. The basic radio frequency of the wave upon which modulations are impressed. Also called "Carrier" or Fc.

Carrier Power: The average power supplied to the antenna transmission line by a transmitter during one radio frequency cycle taken under the condition of no modulation. The average un-modulated power supplied to a transmission line.

Cassegrain Antenna: An antenna in which the feed radiator is mounted at or near the surface of a concave main reflector and is aimed at a convex secondary reflector slightly inside the focus of the main reflector.
[Graphic of a Cassegrain Antenna below right]

Cathode Ray Tube: See CRT.

Cavity: A space enclosed by a conducting surface used as a resonant circuit at microwave frequencies. Cavity space geometry determines the resonant frequency. A storage area for oscillating electromagnetic energy.

C-Band: A frequency band between 4 GHz and 6 GHz used in satellite communications. NOTE; "Letter designators of radio frequency bands are imprecise, deprecated, and legally obsolete."
Table of Frequency Bands

Center Frequency: The tuned or operating frequency. Also referred to as center operating frequency. In frequency diversity systems, the midband frequency of the operating range. See also Carrier Frequency.

Chaff Ribbon-like pieces of metallic materials or metallized plastic which are dispensed by aircraft or ships to mask or screen other "targets". The radar reflections off the chaff may cause a tracking radar to break lock on the target. The foil materials are generally cut into small pieces for which the size is dependent upon the radar interrogation frequency (approximately 1/2 wave length of the victim radar frequency). Being this length, chaff acts as a resonant dipole and reflects much of the energy back to the radar. Also see rainbow, rope, stream chaff, and window.

Channel: A frequency or band of frequencies. An assigned center frequency and a fixed bandwidth around it. Designates operating frequency of track radars and frequency/code assignments of X-band CW illuminators.

Chirp: A pulse compression technique which uses frequency modulation (usually linear) on pulse transmission.

Chirp Radar: See PC.

Circularly Polarized Jamming: The techniques of radiating jamming energy in both planes of polarization simultaneously. With this method, there is a loss of 3 dB of effective power in either linear plane, and substantial loss if the opposite sense of circular polarization is used (i.e. left vs right).

Clutter: Confusing, unwanted echoes that interfere with the observation of desired signals on a radar indicator. Undesired radar returns or echoes resulting from man-made or natural objects including chaff, sea, ground, and rain, which interfere with normal radar system observations.

Coaxial Cable: A cable with one conductor completely surrounded by another conductor, separated by a dielectric.
Refer to the Definition of Coaxial Cable.

Co-Channel: Indicates that two or more pieces of equipment are operating on the same frequency.

Coherent: A definite phase relationship between two energy waves, such as transmitted frequency and reference frequency. Two signals that have a set (usually fixed) phase relationship.

Coherent Oscillator. An oscillator that supplies phase references to provide coherent video from target returns, in CW [Continuous Wave] radar.

 
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