# Is it possible to get a radar reading despite jamming?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-a-radar-reading-despite-jamming/496449>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 14, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-a-radar-reading-despite-jamming/496449 "2009-05-14T20:19:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-a-radar-reading-despite-jamming/496449/1 "2009-05-14T20:19:19Z")

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I have been reading the Tom Clancy’s _Without Remorse_. In it a US Cruiser begins jamming of a radar installations of a NVA radar station. The operators inside still manage to acertain from amongst the clutter the ships and A/C.

I understand the basic theory by which jamming works, but surely its should make it impossible for the operators to get a reading.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-a-radar-reading-despite-jamming/496449/2 "2009-05-14T21:30:53Z")

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It all depends on how powerful the jamming transmitters are, how powerful the actual signal is, and how good your processing is to coax out signals out of the noise.

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-a-radar-reading-despite-jamming/496449/3 "2009-05-14T22:14:31Z")

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So yes?

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-a-radar-reading-despite-jamming/496449/4 "2009-05-14T23:10:16Z")

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Yes.  
To learn more about what’s current, you could sign up for the Association of Old Crows’ [6th Multinational Passive Covert Radar Conference](https://www.myaoc.org/EWEB/DynamicPage.aspx?WebCode=EventInfo&evt_key=1e091895-a66a-4e16-9a3b-dbb7cd979fce&Site=CROWS2) in Rome NY, this fall. Ask around, and if people think you have the clearance for it they’ll tell you all sorts of amusing stories about getting around jamming, and screwing up other people’s radar.

EW’s a big field, it’s been played for a long time. This tome looks like it may give a decent overview of what was current 15 years ago:  
[Introduction to ultra-wideband radar systems](http://books.google.com/books?id=vkTSTfvgDZoC&pg=PA580&lpg=PA580&dq=radar+background+fft&source=bl&ots=9QHyHM5wWY&sig=mOwNevNWj2ccZBZBcG09NHtfLt8&hl=en&ei=i5MMSsX9NISitwemlbCaCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#PPA3,M1)