Mount Fuji Radar System
Encyclopedia
The Mount Fuji Radar System is a historic weather radar
system located on the summit of Mount Fuji
, Japan
. It was completed in 1964, and is now recorded on the list of IEEE Milestones in electrical engineering
.
When first built, the Mount Fuji Radar System was the world's highest weather radar (elevation 3776 meters), and could observe major weather phenomena, such as destructive typhoons, at a range of more than 800 kilometers. It was designed by the Japan Meteorological Agency
and built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.
The system is notable for its advances in weather radar technology, remote control
, and difficulty of construction, as it required the transport and assembly of some 500 tons of material during mountain's short summer. It operated at a frequency of 2880 megahertz, with output power of 1500 kilowatts, and a pulse width of 3.5 microsecond
s. Its antenna
was a circular dish, 5 meters in diameter, of parabolic shape, rotating at either 3 or 5 revolutions per minute, and housed within a 9 meter radome
.
The system was decommissioned in 1999, as it was superseded by weather satellite
s. The dome, radar dish and support equipment were relocated to a purpose-built museum in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
in 2001.
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
system located on the summit of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was completed in 1964, and is now recorded on the list of IEEE Milestones in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
.
When first built, the Mount Fuji Radar System was the world's highest weather radar (elevation 3776 meters), and could observe major weather phenomena, such as destructive typhoons, at a range of more than 800 kilometers. It was designed by the Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
and built by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.
The system is notable for its advances in weather radar technology, remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
, and difficulty of construction, as it required the transport and assembly of some 500 tons of material during mountain's short summer. It operated at a frequency of 2880 megahertz, with output power of 1500 kilowatts, and a pulse width of 3.5 microsecond
Microsecond
A microsecond is an SI unit of time equal to one millionth of a second. Its symbol is µs.A microsecond is equal to 1000 nanoseconds or 1/1000 millisecond...
s. Its antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
was a circular dish, 5 meters in diameter, of parabolic shape, rotating at either 3 or 5 revolutions per minute, and housed within a 9 meter radome
Radome
A radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...
.
The system was decommissioned in 1999, as it was superseded by weather satellite
Weather satellite
The weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be either polar orbiting, seeing the same swath of the Earth every 12 hours, or geostationary, hovering over the same spot on Earth by orbiting over the equator while...
s. The dome, radar dish and support equipment were relocated to a purpose-built museum in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
in 2001.