Which radar subassembly amplifies the weak EM pulses returned from the reflecting object and reproduces them as video pulses?

• A. Receiver
• B. Transmitter
• C. Antenna
• D. Power supply

Answer: (A)

The radar receiver is the part that handles the faint echoes and turns them into displayable video pulses. After a pulse bounces off a target, the returning signal is incredibly weak, so the receiver first amplifies it with a low-noise amplifier to preserve as much of the signal-to-noise ratio as possible. It then downconverts/detects the signal to produce a video waveform that represents the target’s range and strength, which can be shown on the radar display. The transmitter, antenna, and power supply each have different roles—sending out the pulse, acting as the radiating/receiving aperture, and supplying power—whereas only the receiver processes the weak echoes into video pulses for viewing.