Next generation spaced antenna wind profiler technology

New hardware and software technologies have been applied to the NCAR Multiple Antenna Profiler Radar (MAPR) which provide greatly enhanced spaced antenna wind measurements in the boundary layer. Multiple digital receivers, digital signal processors, object oriented software design and multi-threaded applications have resulted in significant improvements in measurement bandwidth, real-time computational throughput and and system robustness. The system is based on a Linux platform and makes large use of public domain software. The hardware and software architectures are described, and throughput considerations are analyzed. Data system performance is presented, and tradeoffs and performance bottlenecks are discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of the design are noted. Examples of the rapid measurements possible with the system are also presented.