A low range-sidelobe pulse compression technique for spaceborne rain radar

A method using a digital-expansion and analog-compression technique for making a compressed pulse with a very low range-sidelobe level for future application to spaceborne rain radar is studied. In this method, the transmission signal which is modulated both in frequency and in amplitude is generated digitally, and the signal is compressed using a surface acoustic wave dispersive delay line. A range-sidelobe suppression of more than 60 dB is obtained in the calculation, and a 54 dB suppression is attained in test measurement.