Mobile radars
Mobile radars are much smaller than the radars which comprise the New Zealand national radar network.
Radar data from "X-band" wavelength radar has distinct advantages over national radar observations. Just to name a few:
high time resolution, <30 seconds per scan
high spatial resolution, 30-250m pixel size
can be sited for optimal data quality for the target catchment
We run specialised transportable X-band weather radar suitable for small/urban catchment monitoring.
The Trailer Radar consists of a fully articulated dish mounted on a short tower, coupled by flexible waveguide to a masthead transceiver, the outputs of which are in turn fed, along with information regarding the dish direction, into a PC housed in a small operators cab.
The radar system is entirely self-contained on a tandem axle trailer. The total mass is about 2 tonnes, allowing it to be towed by a light four wheel drive vehicle, provided that the trailer's hydraulic breaking system is used. The radar mast is folded down onto the trailer for transport. On arrival at a field site the mast can be erected and the radar made ready by a team of two.