First-Order Bistatic High-Frequency Radar Power for Mixed-Path Ionosphere-Ocean Propagation
A theoretical mixed-path ionospheric clutter model for bistatic high frequency radar is presented. Based on previous monostatic work, the first-order received electric field for bistatic radar is derived by considering the scattering processes on both the ionosphere and the ocean surface. Then, the first-order received power model is developed by incorporating a vertically polarized pulsed dipole antenna. In order to investigate the power spectrum of this ionospheric clutter model and its relative intensity to that of the ocean clutter, a normalized ionospheric clutter power is simulated. Numerical simulation results are compared with that of monostatic radar looking at the same ocean scattering patch. Subsequently, the simulations show how the bistatic angle and the ionospheric conditions affect the power spectrum for this bistatic mixed-path ionosphere clutter.