Heat seaking radar !

Hi all,

in yet another episode of this epic series ( now screened in the UK too ) about America's most stupid examples of how to use a Police car ..... Sheriff John Bunnell referred to the use of helicopters with * heat seeking radar * !

Now, what are the cops keeping from the military here ?

Graham

HIs teeth. They should be kept from everybody as a radiation hazard.

Pearce Consulting

Its always the "high rate of speed" that irritates me no end.

Kevin Aylward snipped-for-privacy@anasoft.co.uk

There _is_ thermal-imaging radar.

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

John

There is?

John

Yep. What do you think is in a lot of our small air-to-air and ground-to-air missiles?

And, night-vision goggles are thermal imaging.

...Jim Thompson

Real RF radar, or passive heat seekers.

"Radar" implies a transmitter that illuminates the target. And technically, the R stands for Radio.

John

Ain't no illuminator in heat-seeking _radar_ ;-0

...Jim Thompson

Reportedly, the Indian government is working on a nonlethal terahertz crowd-control pain weapon--it's going to be a Sikh heating radar.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Can you please provide us with the definition of radar you are using?

AFAIK, radar always involves detection of reflected RF energy. Practically speaking, the RF is (almost?) always coherent.

--Mac

Heat-seeking radar is _called radar_, but is not radar in the classic sense of the name.

...Jim Thompson

OK, I think I get it. You are saying that the term "heat-seeking radar" is in use, and is reasonably well-defined among those who use it, even if it makes purists cringe.

Would that be a fair characterization of your position?

--Mac

Yep.

...Jim Thompson

The term "Heat-seeking radar" is rare, because it's wrong.

John

FWIW, I just did a quick google of "heat-seeking radar". It appears that most occurences found were written by PR flacks, magazine writers, or literary types trying to turn a cute phrase.

IOW, they don't know what they're talking about, but that doesn't slow them down any.

Spehro Pefhany wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Not bad! 8-)

Jim Thompson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Staring or scanning video cameras and signal processing.

Uh,radar -transmits- a radio signal that is reflected and received;the thermal imagers are just passive viewing of radiation emitted BY an object;thus not a "radar".Otherwise,any video camera would be a "radar". LIDAR is a laser-based "radar".

And night-vision goggles are NOT "thermal" imaging,they are LOW-LIGHT amplifying.They use whatever light levels exists.They have responses down into the IR region,though.Some are expressly filtered to only respond to near-IR wavelengths.But still use reflected existing light,not what's emitted as heat from the object.

Good, *expensive* lenses.

John