.  Hill Country Research  Innovations in Telecommunication and Automation      Radar Drone DR24 .

Radar Drones are employed in ambulances, school busses, in construction zones, etc. to slow traffic down.  They trigger Radar Detectors and cause motorists to believe law enforcement is nearby operating a radar gun.  They can also be used to test Radar Detectors or as a Radar beacon to track moving objects.

This Radar Drone transmits at 24.125 GHz (K-Band).  A microprocessor controls the transmitter parameters (DR24R).

The Drone is a versatile instrument, that can transmit a steady, intermittent or random signal. The mode is selected with jumpers on the circuit board.

The unit allows for various power options.  The 9 V internal battery is used mainly for handheld operation. In this mode the red  button activates the transmitter.

External power can be supplied from a car battery on solar panels.  Integrated surge protection circuitry can handle the spikes (measuring hundreds of volts) typical for the automotive environment.

If solar panels are used, they can charge the internal 9 V battery to ensure power after dark.

External power (connected to the power jack) bypasses the push button switch.  The radar signal is always “on”, intermittent in fixed intervals or intermittent with random “on” and “off” times.

The “random” mode simulates a human operated Radar gun.

The normal mode is battery powered, handheld operation where the push button switch activates the transmitter.  There are jumper options for different operating modes and power options:

J2:    set, when battery operation is desired without depressing the push button
J3:    set, when battery is to be charged by solar power source
J4:    set, when fixed interval transmission mode is desired; random is default
J5:    set, when always “on” is desired, microprocessor has no function in this mode

Note:   Jumper 3 (charge battery) should not be set if:
a) Unit has a non-rechargeable battery
b) Unit is connected to car power (rechargeable battery could be overcharged and damaged)
 
 

When opening and closing the enclosure to change jumper settings, use caution to prevent damage to the wires and solder joints.  Only technically savvy persons should perform this task.

The external power plug has to have “+” on the inner contact and “-“ on the outer contact.  An internal diode protects the unit in case of accidental reverse polarity.

Normally the radiation is directed towards a single direction.  A clamp-on deflector is available to split the microwave beam in two and send it focused into both traffic directions.

X-Band Radar Drones are also available upon request.