VTS & Coastal Surveillance Radar Systems............

2010/2011 www.kelvinhughes.com
 Introduction
Kelvin Hughes – setting the standard for VTS and Coastal radar systems

SharpEyeTM - Reliability & Performance

In Vessel Traffic Management and Coastal Surveillance systems,
radar is the key sensor in enhancing safety and efficiency,
providing environmental protection and meeting the ever
growing need for security.
Today's operational environment demands a radar that provides
both superb performance in clutter for safe navigation and the
detection of small craft which may pose a security threat.
Kelvin Hughes, with an established history as a supplier of
maritime navigation radar and navigation systems has developed
a family of solid-state radar sensors, SharpEye™, with
performance and reliability that allows entry to markets
previously seen as the territory of the specialist radar suppliers.
SharpEye™ introduces solid-state transceiver technology and
pulse Doppler processing in place of the magnetron and high Image courtesy MCA
voltage modulator and delivers superior situational awareness
and outstanding operational reliability. It achieves this enhanced
performance without the high costs associated with traditional
surveillance radars. The SharpEye™ VTS family meet the
requirements of IALA V-128 (Recommendations for Radar

Radar Reinvented Kelvin Hughes - A History of Innovation

Since obtaining Type Approval for the first commercial marine ra-
dar back in 1948, Kelvin Hughes has been in the forefront of radar
development for the marine market. Slotted waveguide arrays,
solid -state modulators and low profile antenna systems have
been pioneered by Kelvin Hughes during 65 years of product de-
velopment for the radar market . SharpEye™ is the latest in this
history of innovation and represents a milestone in the reliability
and performance available to the radar user. With Doppler and
frequency diversity (hitherto impossible with magnetron based
systems) SharpEye™ can offer cost effective solutions and unri-
valled performance.
Kelvin Hughes is a world leader in the design and supply of marine
navigation and surveillance systems. It has a highly innovative prod-
uct range, which is designed to provide the most advanced navigation
solutions and services available. Products include radar sensors and
display technology, voyage data recorders, electronic chart displays
and highly advanced integrated bridge systems. In addition, through
ChartCo, it provides a unique means of data supply to ships at sea via
satellite. Kelvin Hughes is also the world’s largest supplier of nautical
charts and publications for commercial and leisure use.
Kelvin Hughes has its headquarters in Hainault in the East of London,
and subsidiary offices in other parts of the UK, Denmark, The
Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, USA and China. With this global
presence, Kelvin Hughes provides a first-class sales and support
capability for customers world-wide.
 VTS and SharpEyeTM
Solid-state radar solutions

VTS & SharpEye

Solid-State Solutions
The surface surveillance needs of VTS authorities worldwide are
driving requirements for radar performance that conventional
radar systems simply cannot meet. In response, Kelvin Hughes has
invested in the development of SharpEye™, a new type of radar
that represents the state of the art for marine surveillance sensors.
What differentiates SharpEyeTM from its competition is the
application of the very latest in solid-state and signal processing
technologies which provides users with both performance and

TM
reliability benefits hitherto only available in high-end military
radar systems.
These features include significantly improved target detection in
clutter (30dB improvement), the robust detection of small fast
targets and enhanced reliability and reduced through-life costs of
ownership compared to conventional systems.
X-Band SharpEyeTM Transceiver Unit
Kelvin Hughes’ VTS programme provides a new generation of
short-range tactical surveillance radar to replace the existing Doppler - The Extra Dimension
magnetron radars which are in service in many shore based
SharpEyeTM is a radical departure from current commercial radar
systems.
practice in that it is a solid-state pulse radar that uses the Doppler
X-Band, S-Band and dual Band systems are available with Doppler effect to determine the radial component of the target velocity.
processing and frequency diversity options to meet the user Radar returns from a train of transmitted pulses are processed in a
requirements. bank of narrowband coherently integrating filters.
Using these filters, SharpEye™ is able to separate targets from
clutter due to the differing radial velocity components. This ‘extra
dimension’ gives SharpEye™ a significant performance advantage
in detecting small targets in clutter.

Why Solid State ?

Image courtesy EASAT
Frequency Diversity
SharpEyeTM is available with a frequency diversity option for single
and dual band transceiver units. This provides both increased detec-
tion range and more importantly increased detection capability in
both sea and precipitation clutter.
SharpEyeTM achieves this by changing the transmit frequency during
the transmitted pulse sequence, the returns are then correlated and
a significant amount of the unwanted clutter is removed.
The key to measuring Doppler shift in the radar returns is the co-
herency and stability of the transmitted waveforms. This meas-
urement has been impossible using magnetron transmitting
devices but advances in technology have made a fully solid-state
radar transceiver available to the commercial marketplace. This
solid-state transmission is extremely stable and provides the
phase and frequency measurements that are required to extract
the Doppler information. It also has a secondary benefit of being
inherently more reliable than a magnetron system as it operates
at low voltages and requires no routine maintenance, making it
ideal for remote operation.
i
e
w
f
u SharpEyeTM S & X Band Transceivers
l
l
Solid-State Radar Solutions
t
e
r
m
s
a
n
d
c
o
n
d
i X Band SharpEyeTM Transceiver with 5.5m Antenna
t
i
o Band-Specific Features:
n X Band SharpEye™ :
s Ÿ Operation in the 9220 MHz – 9480 MHz section of
the Commercial X-Band
Ÿ 200 W peak power into the antenna system
operating with duty ratios of up to 13%
Ÿ Antenna rotation rates of 6 to 46 rpm

S Band SharpEye™ :
Ÿ Operation in the 2930 MHz – 3070 MHz section of
the Commercial S-Band
Ÿ 200 W peak power into the antenna system oper-
ating with duty ratios of up to 10%
Antenna rotation rates of 6 to 46 RPM

Buoyed channel into Ramsgate (UK)

SharpEyeTM
Specifications & Features

SharpEye
Common Features:
Ÿ Designed for low-maintenance remote operation (fully
solid-state)
Ÿ MTBF in excess of 50,000 hours

TM
Ÿ Simultaneous long and short-range operation
Ÿ Low-power (40w) mode for short range operation

Specifications & Features

Ÿ Solid-state transmitter for high reliability
Ÿ Digital Pulse Compression
Ÿ Pulse Doppler processing for rain and sea clutter rejection
Ÿ Sub-Clutter visibility improvement factor
ú X Band: 25 dB typical
ú S Band: 30 dB typical
Ÿ Dynamic range of 126 dB (inc. STC and Pulse Compression
gain) ensures simultaneous detection of large and small Exploded View of X Band SharpEyeTM Transceiver
targets
Ÿ Variable speed antenna (6 to 46 rpm)
Ÿ Pulse Repetition Frequency Discrimination
Ÿ Digital and Analogue video outputs
Ÿ Plot data output on 1000BaseT LAN (UDP)
Ÿ Internal monitoring – no external components required to
monitor operation
Ÿ Extensive Built In Test (BIT) facilities
Ÿ Flexible analogue and digital interfaces

SharpEyeTM X Band Radar (in snow) Conventional X Band Radar (in snow)
Transceiver Variants
Feature Matrix
Feature Matrix
DTX-A1- DTX-A1- DTX-A1- DTX-A3- DTX-A3- DTX-A3- DTX-A4- DTX-A4-
Type
ABBA AFFB AGGB ADDA AFFB AGGB AFFB AGGB
X Band
S Band
Dual Band
200W Output
40W Output
3.9m Antenna
5.5m Antenna
3.7m Antenna
Analog Output
Digital Output
Doppler
Processing
Variable Rot.
Rate
Frequency
Diversity
Frequency
Selection

Transceiver Configurations meeting IALA V-128

IALA VTS Category
1 1 Standard
Type Basic X Standard X Standard X Advanced X Standard S Standard S 1
Dual
DTX-A3-ADDA
LPA-A37
DTX-A3-ADDA
LPA-A55
DTX-A3-AGGB
LPA-A55
2
DTX-A3-AGGB

DTX-A1-AFFB
LPA-A3
DTX-A1-AGGB
LPA-A3
DTX-A4-AGGB
LPA-A375
Notes:
1. Frequency Diversity
2. Using 6m Antenna
 SharpEyeTM
Dimensions & Weights

Variants, Dimensions & Weights

680mm 5595mm

885mm

215 Kg

460mm Dual Band SharpEyeTM 460mm

5595mm (or 3775mm)

765mm

145 Kg

460mm X Band SharpEyeTM 460mm

3884 mm

765mm
190 Kg
460mm
460mm
S Band SharpEyeTM

Radar Distribution Unit (RDU)

This unit is used in all SharpEyeTM VTS systems, it contains the following functionality 400mm
Radar Processing
Processing is divided between the upmast transceiver and the RDU. The high speed
data is received from the upmast unit via multiple fibre optic channels. 270mm

Ethernet LAN
This provides high speed transmission of range collapsed plot data, radar video and
control & Bite data.
Analogue Radar data
An optional module allows the output of the radar data in an analogue form.
CanBus Control
A CanBus connection is provided as standard.
Antenna Motor Supply 700mm
The RDU provides the 3 phase supply to power the antenna turning motor.
Local Control / Bite
A local control display and associated controls are fitted to the front of the unit,
allowing local control of the transceiver, set-up functions and local display of Bite.
Rotation Rate Control
The RDU has 2 switchable rotation rates which can be set to between 6 and 24 RPM. Weight 18kg
Radar Distribution Unit
Man Aloft Switch
This inhibits rotation and transmission. An additional remote switch is available.
 VTS & Coastal Surveillance Radar Systems............
UK (Head Office): Kelvin Hughes Limited Benelux: Kelvin Hughes (Nederland) B.V
New North Road, Hainault, Rotterdam: T: +31 10 416 76 22 F: +31 10 416 72 18
Ilford, Essex IG6 2UR
T: +44 20 8502 6887 F: +44 20 8500 0837
ChartCo: China: Kelvin Hughes Shanghai Representative Office
T: +44 20 8276 0003 F: +44 20 8276 0004 Shanghai: T: +86 21 58780313 F: +86 21 58785944

Southampton: Kelvin Hughes Ltd,

Kilgraston House, Southampton Street Far East: Kelvin Hughes (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Southampton SO15 2ED Singapore: T: +65 6545 9880 F: +65 6545 8892

T: +44 23 8063 4911 F: +44 23 8033 0014 Hong Kong: T: +85 2832 2077 F: +85 2832 2055

Scandinavia: A/S Kelvin Hughes

Copenhagen: T: +45 35 55 8116 F: +45 8611 2726 USA: Kelvin Hughes LLC
Århus: T: +45 86 11 2888 F: +45 86 11 2260 Washington: T: +1 703 548 4007 F: +1 703 548 4141
Norway: T: +47 6490 9988 F: +47 6490 9989 New Orleans: T: +1 504 731 2999 F: +1 866 648 9763

Sales Hotline +44 20 8498 1765

vts@kelvinhughes.co.uk

2010/2011 www.kelvinhughes.com
This publication is not intended to form the basis of a contract, nor does it take the place of the specification to which reference should be made for further information. Kelvin Hughes Limited reserves the
right to vary any specification in detail.
VT KH8095 Iss2