WX-radar: solid green line

[PENKO]

Sometimes, usually during the cruise, you get this solid green return on the wx radar that looks like a solid green line reaching from your position to the edge of the screen. You know what I mean.

What causes this? I heard anything from AWACS to aliens... :)

[Boeing man]

I think what you are decribing is known as spoking and it's caused from interference with the signals from other aircraft radar beams

[PENKO]

Thanks Boeing man. Found this thread with you help.
http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/234666-strange-radar-returns-ive-got-picture-too.html

[fantom]

Probably an AWACs or interceptor. If you fly near an aircraft carrier, you'll get the same thing. They're watching you...

[Checkboard]

That's an aviation myth, fantom - completely different frequencies.

[heavy.airbourne]

The freq does not matter sometimes as military radars can emit that much energy that it can scramble the whole band (they want to detect flies, too)

[VinRouge]

Radar jamming and deception - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_jamming_and_deception)

Theory here. Pointing a 1Kw emitter at a radar designed to recieve faint return pulses reflected from weather and you will overcome the gain of the radar, the result being a line on the radar. The relationship for returns is an D^3 relationship, wheras the power emmitted from the other radar is only proportional to D.

There is a range called "burn through" that we use that effectively means the radar recieving jamming can overcome the technique.

Other than changing PRF or freq can you overcome this issue.

[cortilla]

Fly anywhere near Nuremberg and you'll get that spike. Not sure exactly what it is but I've been told it's a powerful military radar.

[heavy.airbourne]

Also Wunstorf (ETNW) near HAJ and Itzehoe/Hungry Wolf (EDHF) near HAM, but that was long ago - many air bases along the wall those days, and powerful radars.