Development of dual-polarization radar in an active and passive dual-wavelength (X/Ka) microwave remote sensing system

In order to enhance the sensing power of precipitating clouds, a dual-polarization radar is developed to be added in an active and passive microwave dual-wavelength (X/Ka band) remote sensing system.. After this upgrading of dual-polarization function addition, the advanced properties of the principle of the former remote sensing system are augmented. This upgraded system becomes a new capability of synthetically sensing clouds and precipitation, and will play an important role in precipitating cloud structure studies and all kinds of major science projects concerning obtaining quantitative distribution of clouds and precipitation. The working principle, the upgrading method and the specifications of the new system and its main components are given here. An emphasis is laid on the description of the design and implementing means of the antenna-feeding unit, the control unit and data acquisition unit. A preliminary rainfall observation test of the system is also presented in this paper.