Radar environment experimental analysis for optimal siting

Site selection for a new surveillance radar for various purposes as the surveillance of the airports and of urban and suburban areas, includes the optimal choice for minimization of clutter due to land, vegetation and man-made infrastructures. In the frame of measurement and modelling of clutter echoes, this paper is aimed to contribute with a practical procedure using lightweight, cheap and small radar after its calibration. Real-world Radar Cross Section measurements in a typical suburban area are shown and analyzed. Buildings, streets, highways, car parking areas with different coatings, large and medium size lampposts, bare soil, soil with vegetation of various types, trees, all in a radius of a very few kilometres, makes the Tor Vergata area interesting as far as land clutter characterization is concerned, as a test-bed for optimal siting procedures.