Azimuth Pointing Calibration for Rotating Phased Array Radar Based on Ground Clutter Correlation

Rotating phased array radars (RPARs) utilize advanced technology for meteorological observations; however, these radars may experience misalignment in azimuth pointing. This study proposes a calibration approach for azimuth pointing in RPARs based on ground clutter (GC) correlation. First, the proposed method adaptively determines the number of clutter bins for each direction in the plan position indicator. Second, the azimuth calibration numbers are derived by optimizing the correlation between the GC echoes of two successive scans. Third, in light of the radar’s physical rotation constraints, the proposed method includes a process for handling situations when GC is not available. The effectiveness of the proposed method was experimentally assessed using data from thousands of rays collected under both rainy and clear-air conditions. The results obtained using the proposed method demonstrate an improvement compared with radar readings using standard angle encoders. This azimuth pointing calibration method is easy to carry out and achieves more accurate azimuth angles than current methods; it has the potential for use in operational radars.