RDA - Antenna: Long Pulse vs. Short Pulse
Though Volume Coverage Patterns (VCPs) 31 and 32 have similar elevations and scanning time periods, VCP 31 uses a long pulse (4.7 microseconds) while VCP 32 uses a short pulse (1.57 microseconds). Longer pulses increase the sensitivity of the radar, but result in poorer Doppler velocity data. As a result, VCP 31 is the only VCP that uses a long pulse. More information on the WSR-88D operational VCPs will be presented in DLOC Topic 3, Lesson 1.
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