Development status of a stepped-frequency ground penetration radar

The development status of two Stepped-Frequency Ground Penetration Radars (SFGPR) is presented. The equipment described includes a unit that operates over the 1 to 3 GHz RF band and is intended for shallow buried mine detection, and a unit that operates over the 150 MHz to 1 GHz RF band and intended for buried waste site characterization to depths of 7 meters. The SFGPR uses coherent high-range resolution radar processing methods to develop a radar- surface-position by slant range (depth) display. An extension of coherent synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging techniques that can yield 2-D and 3-D subsurface imaging is also presented. Results achieved to date are presented in 2-D for the high-frequency system and 3- D for the low-frequency system.