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<br />Page 13 <br /> <br />3. C-band radar <br /> <br />A C-band (5.4 cm wavelength) radar owned by the Bureau of <br />Reclamation will be operated at the Happy Jack site from <br />mid-January through March 17,1987. Its primary purpose is to <br />monitor cloud base and top altitudes, and the structure of the <br />1 atter (strat Horm, convect i ve). The system, known as the SWR-86 <br />Skywater radar, uses a microprocessor for scan control. It <br />transmits 250 kW peak power and has a one degree beam width. <br />Data are digitized and written to 9 track magnetic tape for later <br />analysis. <br /> <br />The radar will be operated in the RHI (range height indicator) <br />mode, making one slow sweep per 5 minutes. This will provide <br />data for cloud top and base determination. Such radar <br />information is normally provided by pointing the antenna <br />vertically. However, noise in the first few kilometers from the <br />SWR-86 radar requires that RHI scanning be used. <br /> <br />The radar system is contained in a semi-type trailer. The 4.27 m <br />diameter dish antenna is installed on the roof in a fiberglass <br />radome to protect the dish from the weather, especially from wind <br />1 oadi ng. <br /> <br />Table 3 lists the essential specifications of the radar system. <br />