Mitigating ground clutter using the multi-channel receiver on the National Weather Radar Testbed

The National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) provides a unique opportunity to test the effectiveness of using sidelobe cancelling channels to mitigate ground clutter. Sidelobe cancelling channels are receive-only auxiliary channels that are separate from the main array. These types of channels have already been used on wind profiling radars to mitigate ground clutter, and some of the same techniques can be applied to weather surveillance radars. With the recent deployment of an eight-channel multi-channel receiver on the NWRT, the sum channel and sidelobe channel data can be recorded and processed to research different techniques for addressing ground clutter contamination. This paper will examine some of the existing algorithms for employing sidelobe cancellers especially in the context of weather surveillance radars and the NWRT in particular. The multi-channel receiver project is a collaboration between the OU Atmospheric Radar Research Center and the National Severe Storms Laboratory.