Antenna Beam-Shape Factor in Scanning Radars

The method by which the antenna beam-shape factor is taken into account in scanning radars has been reexamined. The ``conventional'' method is shown to give results within ±0.25 dB of the ``correct'' results, which provides ample justification of its use over the past years. However, by basing the procedure on the assumption of a properly matched postdetection integrator, and leaving the question of nonoptimum postdetection integration to be treated as a separate problem, somewhat more accurate results can be obtained. This study has also called attention to the fact that a mismatched postdetection integrator results in only half the degradation in performance that a corresponding predetection mismatch would cause.