Implementation of method for operating multiple high frequency surface wave radars on a common carrier frequency

The increasing use of high frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) for the surveillance of coastal regions is faced with the problem of limited channel availability in the electromagnetic spectrum. Thus there is a need for multiple radars to share a common frequency channel. Proof-of-concept work is presented here for a method to operate multiple radar systems on a common carrier frequency. A review is provided of an existing concept where a common waveform is modulated by tones varying by a few hertz across the different radars. The signals from the different radars are separated by either pulse-domain filtering or Doppler processing. An experiment has been performed that demonstrates the feasibility of the method. Limitations of the method are considered in terms of the linearity of the propagation channel.