what's the principle behind the working of a Radar (navigational)?

Question

Radar used for navigational purpose in ship or vessel.

Answer 1

A radar emits radar waves. Those are electromagnetic waves like radio waves. When a radar wave bounces into an object, part of it is reflected back to the radar. Suppose the radar sends a signal now and detects it comming back (its echo) one microsec later. Since electromagnetic waves travel 300 meters in a microsec, the object that reflected it must be 150 meter away. (The radar wave traveled 150 meter from the radar to the object plus 150 meter back).

Answer 2

Friend, RADAR IS A Measuring instrument in which the echo of a pulse of microwave radiation is used to detect and locate distant objects. In detail it works like this ( Source; wikipedia). Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. A transmitter emits radio waves, which are reflected by the target and detected by a receiver, typically in the same location as the transmitter. Although the radio signal returned is usually very weak, radio signals can easily be amplified. This enables a radar to detect objects at ranges where other emissions, such as sound or visible light, would be too weak to detect. Radar is used in many contexts, including meteorological detection of precipitation, air traffic control, police detection of speeding traffic, and by the military. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging. This acronym of American origin replaced the previously used British abbreviation RDF (which stands for Radio Direction Finding). The term has since entered the English language as a standard word, radar, losing the capitalization in the process. Hope you have some useful information.

Answer 3

Ships use only SONAR mostly but yes some warships use RADAR to track the flying planes. Both work on the principle of reflection of waves. Radio waves in the context of RADAR and ultrasonic sound in SONAR. These waves are sent in all directions and the time required for the waves to return after hitting the surface is recorded with a receiver. Distance is known by "distance=speed/time" formula.

Answer 4

To further the question asker's knowledge, the word radar is an acronym. Sometimes stated as "radio detection and ranging," more correctly as "radio direction and range."


Vincent G's mentiion of the Doppler effect is a red herring.

It has nothing to do with navigational radar. It is used to establish speed, not angular position and distance.

Answer 5

Argus has most of this tacked down. To add to that, the prinicipals that make RADAR work is called the Doppler effect. That is for instance, if a car is driving by you with its stereo on, the sound waves take longer to reach your ear from far away, but as it approaches the sound takes less time to reach your ear. Just think of it as an echo that comes back at you the closer a sound reflecting surface is.

Answer 6

In navigation radar either two or preferably three fixed beacons emit a certain frequency, the set picks them up and gets a fix on positon geometricly. Loran is one popular type.

Answer 7

No..... Not sound!!!!!

Electromagnetic waves of the correct wavelength transmitted by a rotating (usually) antenna. They reflect off the target and are returned to the antenna. The time taken gives the distance, the position of the antenna gives the angle and the wavelength (doppler shift) change gives the sped of the target.

That is as simple as I can make it

Answer 8

now if radar waves are electromagnetic waves do they travel at light speed ?