Locations of the COBRA system and Network Link

Locations of the COBRA system

COBRA consists of a main radar in Nago City in the northern part of the Okinawa main island and two bistatic receivers-one at the Okinawa Electromagnetic Technology Center (NICT Okinawa) and one at the Ogimi Wind Profiler Facility. The main radar and bistatic receiver stations are located deep in the mountains of Nago and Ogimi, and since they cannot be accessed during typhoons, they are unmanned; instead, they are remotely controlled from NICT Okinawa.

Network Link

The main radar and the bistatic receivers are connected via networks, and the main radar and NICT Okinawa are connected by a 100-Mbps Ether. All data observed by the COBRA are stored in the Subtropical Environment Remote-Sensing Network & Data System.

Link to the Subtropical Environment Remote-Sensing Network Data System

Main specifications of the COBRA main radar

	Radar System	Monostatic pulse Doppler radar
	Frequency	5,340 MHz (C band)
	Peak Power	≥ 250 kW (2 klystron units)
	Pulse Width select from	0.5 microsecond, 1.0microsecond, 2.0 microsecond
	Pulse Repetition Frequency	250-3,000 Hz, set in steps of 1 Hz
	Antenna Diameter	4.5 m (parabolic)
	Beam Width	≤1.1°
	Radome Diameter	8m
	Cross Polarization Ratio	≥ 36 dB (integrated value in a beam)
	Antenna Gain	≥ 42 dB (including radome)
	Side Lobe Level	≤ -25 dB (one-way)
	Antenna Scan Speed	Horizontally: 0.5-10 rpm (set in steps of 0.1 rpm) Vertical: 0.1-3.6 rpm (set in steps of 0.1 rpm)
	Polarization	horizontal, horizontal, vertical, ±45°linear-tilt, right- and left-handed circular