🔍 Key Concepts

• RADAR noise and clutter – how random interference appears on the screen • Difference between target echo strength (RCS – radar cross section) for large vs small targets • What factors normally do and do not affect bearing accuracy on RADAR

💭 Think About

• On a RADAR display, when background noise or clutter increases, which type of echo (strong vs weak) will be harder to see? • Does electronic noise usually move a target’s apparent bearing, or does it just make the display ‘speckled’ around the screen? • Think about what ‘transmitter interference’ means: is it usually caused by noise on the receiver side, or by something happening with other transmitting sources?

✅ Before You Answer

• Compare which targets have weaker echoes and are therefore more likely to be hidden by noise. • Ask yourself whether bearing lines on RADAR are normally altered by noise, or whether noise just makes detection/identification harder. • Consider whether general background noise typically changes the transmitter’s output, or mainly affects what the receiver can pick up.