BendixKing IN-862A System RDR-2100 - Manual (Page 30)

OPERATION IN-FLIGHT
GENERAL
The RDR 2100 will provide you with target information to a greater degree
of clarity than has ever been possible with previous generation weather
avoidance radars. It is the purpose of this section to help you become a
proficient radar operator as soon as possible. However, it is realized that
proficiency can only improve with usage. It is, therefore, recommended
that the operator become familiar with the operation of the system during
fair weather instead of while trying to penetrate a storm front.
In previous sections of this handbook we have described the various
controls and discussed the features of the RDR 2100 radar system. This
section concerns itself with a more detailed discussion of some of these
controls and how to make the most efficient use of them.
Note: Your radar is a weather-avoidance device. It should never be
used for weather-penetration. It will help you see and plan avoidance
maneuvers around significant weather encountered during flight.
TILT MANAGEMENT
Effective antenna tilt management is the single, most important key to
more informative weather radar displays. Three prime factors must be
kept in mind for proper tilt management:
• The earth’s curvature must be considered in determining the location of
the beam at long distances.
• The center of the radar beam is referenced to the horizon by the aircraft
vertical reference system.
• Adjusting the antenna tilt control will cause the center of the radar beam
to scan above or below the plane of the attitude reference system.
More simply, a too low setting will result in excessive ground or sea
returns while a too high tilt setting (although excessive returns are elimi-
nated) can result in the radar beam passing over the top of a weather
target.
For detecting weather targets at long ranges and to allow adequate time
for planning the proper avoidance path, the tilt angle should be set for a
sprinkle of ground target returns on the display. By slowly raising the tilt
angle, weather targets will emerge from the ground returns because of
their height above the ground. In order to minimize ground returns when
closely examining weather targets below the aircraft flight level, select
the shortest range that allows full depiction of the area of interest.
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Effective Date: 9/98 RDR 2100 Pilot's Guide: Rev 1
Operation In-Flight
RDR 2100 PG 3/12/07 3:45 PM Page 26