Multichannel UWB Microwave Radar Front-End for Fine-Resolution Measurements of Terrestrial Snow Cover

We developed a multichannel ultra-wideband radar RF front-end for measurements of snow cover thickness. We accomplished a significant reduction in weight, volume, power consumption and cost with respect to previous implementations, enabling the collection of multichannel data in nadir-looking mode by using an airborne sparse antenna array. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of the RF front-end, laboratory tests to validate its performance, and initial results from flight tests conducted with a compact radar demonstrator. We anticipate that the application of array processing techniques to the data collected will aid improving detection capabilities in areas with complex topography and/or significant surface roughness.