What is the Unambiguous Range of a Radar?

The unambiguous range of a radar is the maximum range at which a target can be located so as to guarantee that the reflected signal/pulse from that target corresponds to the most recent transmitted pulse. The radar range is measured by the time delay between pulse transmission and reception. It is Usually assumed that the received pulse is associated with the most recent transmitted pulse. Targets at ranges beyond the unambiguous range therefore appear closer because the received pulse will correspond to the previous transmitted pulse. This situation can be avoided by coding of the pulses which can differentiate between the most recent transmitted pulse and earlier ones, enabling the measurement of ranges beyond the "unambiguous range".

(Unit = Meters)

Where:

C = 3 x 10⁸ m/s (Speed of Light)

PRT = Pulse Repetition Time (In micro seconds)

P_W = Pulse Width (This is usually less than 1 micro second and is thus ignored)

Click here to use the maximum unambiguous range calculator.