Beamformer evaluation of low power coastal HF surface wave radar

Owing to large operational range and relatively low cost of operation coastal HF Surface Wave Radar has witnessed an increased interest in monitoring coastal territories. Using a well established sea clutter model this paper evaluates the state of art beamformer (Hamming) employed by such coastal systems. Evaluation parameters are degradation during beam scanning and target azimuth resolution in high sea clutter scenarios. Chebyshev beamformer with side lobes of -30 dB has been demonstrated to have superior performance both in terms of azimuth resolution and beam scanning.