Harmonic radar for insect flight pattern tracking

Abstract

A harmonic radar system is described for use in tracking the movement of flying insects in entomological studies. The objective is to predict the range performance of the system given realistic antenna dimensions, transmit power and receiver performance. A description of the receiver is presented including the noise and signal level calculations. A maximum range of 251 m is shown to be realizable under realistic assumptions.

A quantitative study of the benefits of the third-order over the second-order harmonic radar

“…Since the 1970s, harmonic radar systems [1][2][3][4] have emerged as an important and adaptable tool to track and identify targets in highly cluttered environments in a wide range of applications, such as medicine, [5][6][7] rescuing people, 8,9 tracking insects, [10][11][12][13] military uses like tracking enemy vehicles, and automotive electronics use to avoid collisions 1,2 as well as for detection and identification of vulnerable road users. 14,15 The main goal is to reject undesired signals from the target, which is achieved using a nonlinear tag [16][17][18][19] or harmonic tag.…”

Low Profile Harmonic Radar Transponder for Tracking Small Endangered Species

“…Biologists have been using harmonic radar since the mid 1980's to track insect movements [3][4][5][6][7][8] snails [9,10] and other small animals. The challenge now is designing the most appropriate transponder for studying a specific animal, with small and endangered species requiring the most urgent and difficult development.…”