What Is Beam Width?
How wide a radar beam is. The beam spreads out with distance, so far-away storms look blurrier. In technical terms: The angular width of a radar beam between its half-power (-3 dB) points; the WSR-88D beam width is about 0.95 degrees, giving a linear width of roughly 1.7 km at 100 km range and 3.3 km at 200 km.
Also called: Half-Power Beamwidth, Beamwidth
Beam Width In Plain English
How wide a radar beam is. The beam spreads out with distance, so far-away storms look blurrier.
The Technical Definition
The angular width of a radar beam between its half-power (-3 dB) points; the WSR-88D beam width is about 0.95 degrees, giving a linear width of roughly 1.7 km at 100 km range and 3.3 km at 200 km.
Lessons That Use Beam Width
- Beam Height, Range And The Cone Of Silence Unit 12: Radar Science
