Introduction To Radar

Welcome to the beginning of your S3 (Approach/Departure) Training. Let's begin by looking at the technology behind the radar systems, the history of radar, and some of the various radar modes in the following ATCast video, brought to you by SATCA and the University of North Dakota.

Radar Modes

There are multiple types of radar modes that can be used on VATSIM. You can go here to read about some of the different radar modes and what they look like on VRC.

Radar Phenomena on VATSIM

In the real world, and on VATSIM, you will encounter some unusual radar phenomena. We are going to look at some of the unusual things you may see on VATSIM while working a radar position.

• Coasting Target - The above image is an example of an aircraft that is coasting (in DSR mode). An aircraft is coasting whenever you have track on an aircraft, but the aircraft is no longer connected. This is normally due to the aircraft disconnecting, but may present itself during a server split. In order to remedy this, you should wait to see if the aircraft reconnects, and if they do not, simply drop track on the aircraft.

• Incorrect Speed = This is a phenomena that occurs when the pilot is flying at a simulation rate higher than 1x. Let's say we have an aircraft that is traveling at 100kts ground speed. If the pilot were to move the simulation rate to 2x, then the aircraft would actually be moving at 200kts, however, his datablock will only display 100kts for the groundspeed. This is due to the way VATSIM retrieves the ground speed data. There isn't a solution to this per se, however, I assure you its obvious when a pilot is utilizing a simulation rate higher then 1x.

NEXT: Positions and Responsibilities

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