SMART-R

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SMART-R, short for the Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching Radar, is a pair of mobile Doppler weather radars built by the University of Oklahoma with help from Texas A&M and Texas Tech University starting in 2001. The system was created to study weather in areas not well covered by the NEXRAD network, and to serve as a research and teaching platform.

SR-1 and SR-2 are C-band radars with similar specs. SR-1 operates at 5,635 MHz and SR-2 at 5,612.82 MHz. Each has a 2.5-meter dish, about 40 dB gain, a half-power beamwidth of roughly 1.5°, and a maximum output power of 250 kW. They can scan from 0° to 90° in elevation and rotate at up to about 33 degrees per second. Pulse widths range from 0.2 to 2.0 microseconds.

To improve performance in precipitation, the project used two decommissioned WSR-74 radars repurposed by TAMU, which helped reduce attenuation and extend range. Since their completion (SR-1 in 2001 and SR-2 in 2004), SMART-R has been used in various field campaigns, including hurricane research and haboob (dust storm) studies, and to observe tornadic supercells across the Plains. Because there are two radars, researchers often configure them in dual-Doppler setups to better measure wind fields.