Experimental Evaluation of the Range-Doppler Coupling on HF Surface Wave Radars

High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) is used in oceanography to monitor surface wind waves and currents and, more recently, to detect ships in maritime surveillance. The radar accuracy is affected by range-Doppler coupling, which yields a displacement in the measured range proportional to the target radial velocity, i.e. the Doppler shift in the returned pulse. Although in oceanography this effect is usually not accounted for, its relevance grows in ship detection. In this paper we present the results of two experimental datasets showing displacements in the HFSWR range measurements of up to 300 meters and confirming the theoretical analysis. Furthermore, we show that the correction based on theoretical arguments, achieved by the statistical correlation between the range and Doppler measurements, provides remarkable improvement in the radar accuracy.