Radomes at the Misawa Security Operations Center, Misawa, Japan

A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure used to protect an antenna. What distinguishes a radome structure from other structures is that the material used in building the radome allows a relatively unattenuated electromagnetic signal between the antenna inside the radome and outside equipment. Using conventional building materials (i.e. steel, aluminum, bricks, etc.) would block most if not all of the antenna signal. Radomes are used to protect the surfaces of the antenna from the effects of environmental exposure (e.g., wind, rain, sand, UV, ice, etc.) and/or conceal antenna electronic equipment from public view. They also protect personnel who work nearby from being accidentally struck by a fast-moving antenna. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2500x1618, 1733 KB)Donald Rouse and Air Force Airman John Yorde make early morning security rounds by the radomes at the Cryptologic Operations Center, Misawa, Japan. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2500x1618, 1733 KB)Donald Rouse and Air Force Airman John Yorde make early morning security rounds by the radomes at the Cryptologic Operations Center, Misawa, Japan. ... Aerial photo of Security Hill American and Japanese air traffic controllers work together in Misawas busy control tower. ... A portmanteau (IPA: ) is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning. ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Dome (disambiguation). ... A yagi antenna Most simply, an antenna is an electronic component designed to send or receive radio waves. ... Look up signal, signaling in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Wind (disambiguation). ... This article is about precipitation. ... For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ultraviolet (disambiguation). ...

Radomes can be constructed in several shapes (spherical, geodesic, planar, etc.) depending upon the particular application using various construction materials (fiberglass, PTFE-coated fabric, etc.). When used on UAVs or other aircraft, in addition to such protection, the radome also streamlines the antenna system, thus reducing drag. Spaceship Earth in Epcot Center at Walt Disney World is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a large scale geodesic sphere. ... Teflon is the brand name of a polymer compound discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910-1994) of DuPont in 1938 and introduced as a commercial product in 1946. ... The £124 million Taranis UAV built by BAE Systems An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft with no onboard pilot. ... Flying machine redirects here. ... An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ...

Purpose

A radome is often used to prevent ice and freezing rain from accumulating directly onto the metal surface of the antenna. In the case of a spinning radar dish antenna, the radome also protects from debris and rotational irregularities due to wind. Freezing Rain is a type of precipitation that begins as snow at higher altitude, falling from a cloud towards earth, melts completely on its way down while passing through a layer of air above freezing temperature, and then encounters a layer below freezing at lower level to become supercooled. ... Capital accumulation ... A dish antenna is a type of antenna in which a parabolic dish focuses a signal onto an antenna, located at the parabolas focal point. ...

For stationary antennas, excessive amounts of ice can de-tune the antenna to the point where its impedance at the input frequency rises drastically, causing voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) to rise as well. This reflected power goes back to the transmitter, where it can cause overheating. A foldback circuit activates to prevent this. However, it causes the station's output power to drop dramatically, reducing its range. In guitar playing, a slack tuning is one in which the intervals between the strings are unchanged, but all the strings are lowered in pitch by a given interval. ... Electrical impedance, or simply impedance, is a measure of opposition to a sinusoidal alternating electric current. ... For other uses, see Frequency (disambiguation). ... In telecommunications, standing wave ratio (SWR) is the ratio of the amplitude of a partial standing wave at an antinode (maximum) to the amplitude at an adjacent node (minimum). ... Antenna tower of Crystal Palace transmitter, London A transmitter is an electronic device which, usually with the aid of an antenna, propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications. ... Foldback is the use of rear-facing loudspeakers on stage during a live music performance that is amplified with a public address system. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Output is the term denoting either an exit or changes which exits a system and which activate/modify a process. ...

One of the first radomes: the radome (top) covering the H2S radar system rotating antenna (bottom) on a Halifax bomber

A radome prevents this by covering the antenna's exposed parts with a sturdy, weatherproof material, typically fiberglass, which keeps debris or ice away from the antenna to prevent any serious issues. It is interesting to note that one of the main driving forces behind the development of fiberglass as a structural material was the need during World War II for radomes.^[1] A radome does, however, add to the wind load and the ice load, in addition to its own weight, and so must be planned for when considering overall structural load. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (400x618, 160 KB) The H2S radome (top) and the enclosed, rotating, scanning aerial (bottom) on a Handley Page Halifax. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (400x618, 160 KB) The H2S radome (top) and the enclosed, rotating, scanning aerial (bottom) on a Handley Page Halifax. ... An early H2S picture of the Pembroke and Milford Haven area The H2S radar was used in bombers of RAF Bomber Command. ... The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engine heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. ... Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre) is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

For this reason, and the fact that radomes may be unsightly if near the ground, heaters are often used instead. Usually running on DC, the heaters do not interfere physically or electrically with the AC of the radio transmission. Direct current (DC or continuous current) is the continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential. ... For other uses, see Interference (disambiguation). ... City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ... In telecommunications, transmission is the act of transmitting electrical messages (and the associated phenomena of radiant energy that passes through media). ...

For radar dishes, a single, large, ball-shaped dome (usually geodesic) also protects the rotational mechanism and the sensitive electronics, and is heated in colder climates to prevent icing. Spaceship Earth in Epcot Center at Walt Disney World is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a large scale geodesic sphere. ... The sensitivity of an electronic device, a communications system receiver, or detection device, PIN diode, is the minimum magnitude of input signal required to produce a specified output signal having a specified signal-to-noise ratio, or other specified criteria. ... This article is about the engineering discipline. ...

The Menwith Hill spy base, which includes over 30 radomes, is widely believed to regularly intercept satellite communications. At Menwith Hill, the radome enclosures have a further use in preventing observers from deducing the direction of the antennas, and therefore which satellites are being targeted. The same point was also made with respect to the radomes of the ECHELON facilities. Menwith Hill from the air RAF Menwith Hill is an intelligence-gathering base located approximately eight miles west of the town of Harrogate, UK, 54°00′N 1°41′W. Founded in the 1950s to monitor High Frequency radio communications, it has been operated since 1966 by the US National... For other uses, see Satellite (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Signals Intelligence capability. ...

For maritime satellite communications service, radomes are widely used to protect dish antennas which are continually tracking fixed satellites while the ship's deck experiences pitch, roll and yaw movements. Large cruise ships and oil tankers may have radomes over 3 m in diameter to suit broadband transmissions for television, voice, data and Internet. Small private yachts may use radomes as small as 26 cm for voice and low-speed data. This article is about the unit of length. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...

Alternatives

An Active Electronically Scanned Array is a form of radar installation that has no moving parts as such and in ground based installations a radome is not necessary. An example of this is the "tourist attraction" golfball-style radome installations at RAF Fylingdales. APAR AESA An Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), also known as active phased array radar is a revolutionary type of radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small transmit/receive (T/R) modules. ... BMEWS solid-state phased-array radar at RAF Fylingdales RAF Fylingdales is a British Royal Air Force station on Fylingdales Moor, North Yorkshire, England. ...

References

1. ^ Gordon, J.E., The New Science of Strong Materials: 2nd Edition, Pelican, 1976.