DVB-T Based Passive Radar

Abstract

The passive radar systems are able to detect targets using only traditional telecommunication or broadcast signals. During the design of a passive radar we are trying to exploit the opportunities of an already existing system, thus we need to face such problems that could be simply eliminated e.g. during the design of the transmitted signal or the operation frequency of a traditional active radar. The properties of the used source of illumination essentially determines the overall performance of the system. The Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial (DVB-T) signal has beneficial properties from our viewpoint, therefore it offers a great opportunity to develop an effectively operating system. Nowadays passive radars are gaining ground and become more popular. Now, that the so far insurmountable technological limitations begin to disappear, beside the theoretical researches the investigation of realizations with the recently available hardware technologies are becoming more important. This paper presents a feasibility experiment of a DVB-T based passive radar using simplified models.