About Panoramic Monitoring of the Sea Surface in the RF Range

The potential capabilities and limitations of modern fixed-frequency RF radars to monitor the sea surface are discussed. To monitor the parameters of the sea surface in the Novorossiysk water area, it is proposed to create a domestic two-point complex of observations. Its feature is an extended frequency range (3-30 MHz) and the panoramic scheme of observation based on a principle of ionospheric sounding. Results of experiments with ionosonde and a prototype of the panoramic HF radar are described. Estimations of characteristics of antennas, modes of sounding and processing of the signals are allowing one to realize this scheme.