High Resolution Harmonic Radar ISAR Experiments and System Design Strategies

Harmonic radar is a promising radar technique for the detection of electronic devices in security related applications. In contrast to established and commercially available systems, where the radar works in conjunction with a known and cooperative transponder responding at a harmonic frequency, the goal here is to detect and localize noncooperative targets such as mobile phones. In this work, a combination of classic and harmonic radar in one system is presented. The system layout together with the design strategies and experiences gained is described in detail. Measurement results indicate how an inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) setup could be beneficial in a real world scenario.