Reflectivity calibration for X-band solid-state radar with metal sphere

Calibration of weather radar has a direct impact on the accuracy of measurements and therefore is critical for most applications. In this paper, we will focus on reflectivity calibration of X-band solid-state radar. Two test points are selected and three kinds of sphere are used to conduct calibration, including metal and foil. The predicted Z and measured Z m have a mean bias of 2.1dB. Three combinations of the number of sampling pulses and the antenna rotation speed are utilized to examine their impacts on radar reflectivity, which demonstrates that the reflectivity has a downward trend and decreases successively from 0.4 to 0.12dB along with the decent of sampling number. It is also found that the reflectivity of metal sphere at far test point with changing azimuth and elevation angles is closed related to the antenna pattern.