Affect of Weather on the Performance of Ka-band Traffic Radar

Effective enforcement of speeding statutes requires measured speed to be accurate and state of the art. This requirement is necessary in order to successfully prosecute by using both moving and stationary radar. The New Jersey State Police currently utilizes X-band radar units. The advent of new Ka-band traffic radar technology now allows smaller, safer and more versatile radar units to be employed. To successfully utilize these new millimeter-wave Ka-band radar units their speed measurement accuracy particularly in the present of different weather conditions must be established in a scientific manner. This paper reports on a program of testing and analysis to establish the accuracy of the new Ka-band radar units. More than 1,000 measurements were taken in a variety of weather conditions. The study shows that weather has a minimal affect on the Ka-band performance and that Indicated speeds are well within National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards.