Method and arrangement for the suppression of rain echos in a terrain following radar

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention seeks to solve the problem of developing a process of the kind specified at the beginning, that makes it possible at little additional cost to largely eliminate rain echo.
The invention also provides an arrangement for carrying out such a process.
Accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide a process and arrangement for eliminating rain echo in a terrain following radar having an elevation monopulse device with a sum channel and a difference channel each having a signal amplitude, where all echos above an antenna boresight are taken into account and are integrated over a narrow range area, and wherein the signal amplitude of the difference channel is reinforced by a predetermined factor and compared with the signal amplitude of the sum channel.
Echo is eliminated if the reinforced signal amplitude is greater the difference channel than in the sum channel.
The invention is notable for the very small additional outlay required on conventional terrain following radar, since it is only necessary to amplify the signal by multiplication or, in in a preferred embodiment with logarithmized signals, by the addition of a predetermined level.
A further object of the invention is to provide an arangement for carrying out the process of the invention which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.