WX RADAR Tilt

Airborne Weather RADAR Ground Clutter Antenna Tilt Calculator

Making a Pilot's life a bit easier

Aircraft Weather RADAR Tilt management & Ground Clutter

Weather (WX) RADAR provides critical real-time information so Pilots can make informed decisions to avoid hazardous weather.

Proper WX Radar Tilt management is an important factor to ensure accurate weather information is being displayed.

There are numerous "Techniques" for managing Tilt of Airborne Weather RADAR. I hope you find this app to be a useful tool.

Altitude, Antenna Size & Tilt

Altitude (AGL), combined with Antenna Size and Antenna Tilt, are used in the calculations.

Line-of-Sight (LOS) distance referred to as "Optical Horizon", corrected for Earth Curvature, is also calculated.

Altitude input range is 1,000 ft to 55,000 ft.

The Weather RADAR Beamwidth is a function of Antenna size. There is an inverse relationship between Antenna Diameter and Beamwidth, i.e. larger Antennas have narrower Beamwidth.

The WxRadarTilt app supports 10", 12", 18", 24", 28", 30" & 48" Antennas. The correct Beamwidth based on Antenna size and an estimated Sidelobe factor is incorporated in the calculations.

Ground Clutter, by definition, requires that the WX RADAR Beam intersect the Earth's surface. The Maximum Up Tilt limit, executed in 0.5 degree increments within the app, ensures this condition will occur.

Beamwidth Compensation: User input to compensate for the Antenna radiating RF energy wider than standard published Beamwidth values,

Resources

Here are some Websites that you may find useful in the exploration of Airborne Weather RADAR systems.

https://code7700.com/menu_radar.htm

https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/optimum-use-of-weather-radar/

http://aea.net/AvionicsNews/ANArchives/May11_AirborneRadar.pdf

https://www.radartutorial.eu/04.history/hi04.en.html

https://simpleflying.com/weather-radar-storm-cell-avoidance-guide/

https://www.smartcockpit.com/download/optimum-use-of-the-weather-radar/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_horizon

The WX RADAR Tilt app is not a substitute for official documentation

Always refer to the AOM, POH, SOP and documentation from the Aircraft manufacturer and Weather RADAR system supplier.

Reasonable effort has been made to ensure the calculations are accurate. Weather RADAR is a complex system with many variables, e.g. atmospheric conditions, aircraft system installation, and terrain. WxRadarTilt is still "...just an app..."

Screenshots (Updated images on App Store)

Simple User Interface

Input:

1 - Altitude (via Slider)

2 - Antenna Size

3 - Antenna Tilt

4 - Beamwidth Compensation

Output:

4 - Ground Clutter (estimated distance)

5 - Optical Horizon

Example #1 - An Aircraft at 25,000 ft (AGL), 18" Antenna (5.6 deg Beamwidth) and +2.0 Degree Antenna Tilt will have a calculated Ground Clutter distance of 107 nm.

The "Optical Horizon" of 194 nm is a function of Altitude (AGL), representing the geometric Line-of-Sight (LOS) distance to the horizon over the Earth's curved surface.

Example #2 - The calculated Ground Clutter distance will occur at a closer distance with an Antenna Tilt of +0.5 degrees. The Ground Clutter distance is reduced to 64 nm by reducing the Tilt by -1.5 degrees.

Note the Optical Horizon (Line-of-Sight) distance is unchanged (LOS is a function of Altitude, not the RADAR system).

Example #3 - The effect of a smaller Antenna (12" vs. 18") is evident. Due to the wider Beamwidth of the 12" antenna (7.9 deg), the Ground Clutter distance is reduced to 43 nm, with the same Altitude and Antenna Tilt as shown in Example #2.

This Privacy Policy applies to the WXRadarTilt app and the website http://www.flytetools.com

Our privacy policy is simple: In our mobile apps, absolutely no personal information is collected. The WXRadarTilt app stores user selections (such as Antenna Size, Tilt, or Altitude) on the device. We do not have access to this data.

Except as noted below, all information about you and your usage stays on your device(s) when you use our apps. Here's the details:

Support Request: A support request, made via this website, will create an email. No information is submitted to us that is not literally spelled out in the text of that email. By sending that email, you will be providing us with your email address. We will only use those email addresses for the purposes of those interactions.

Apple: Apple provides some standard analytics data to app developers as to the types of devices being used and other basic, anonymous, usage data. We will use this information but will not collect anything directly via our apps. Apple does not provide us with your email address, phone number, payment method, or any other personal information.

Cookies: We use cookies on our website only to determine the number of unique users. We do not collect personal information through cookies.

Other Websites: Some FlyteTools applications may contain links to websites that are viewed in your web browser. Once you leave the FlyteTools app and access those websites, any collection of information falls under the privacy policies of those websites.

Access Log and IP address: Our website has an access and error log to record site activity and analyze problems. The log contains the user’s IP address which is kept private.

Advertising: We have no external advertisements in FlyteTools apps or websites.

Disclosure of Information: FlyteTools may disclose user information if required in response to judicial process, or to law enforcement agencies or in connection with an investigation on a matter related to public safety.

Updates: This Privacy Policy may be amended at any time.

WX RADAR Tilt

Making a Pilot's life a bit easier

Aircraft Weather RADAR Tilt management & Ground Clutter

Altitude, Antenna Size & Tilt

Resources

The WX RADAR Tilt app is not a substitute for official documentation

Screenshots (Updated images on App Store)

Privacy Policy

Contact

Comments & Feedback are welcomed!

Your Feedback is Appreciated

FlyteTools.com

WX RADAR Tilt

Making a Pilot's life a bit easier

Aircraft Weather RADAR Tilt management & Ground Clutter

Altitude, Antenna Size & Tilt

Resources

The WX RADAR Tilt app is not a substitute for official documentation

Screenshots (Updated images on App Store)

Privacy Policy

Contact

Comments & Feedback are welcomed!

Your Feedback is Appreciated

FlyteTools.com

Cookie Policy