Affordable Ground Penetrating Radar based on a low-cost vector network analyser

As modeling capabilities advance, the demand for reliable, non-destructive monitoring techniques continues to grow. Radar auscultation is one such technique, increasingly used in a variety of fields. However, field experts wishing to explore radar applications must either invest in specialized, expensive equipment that may not fully meet their needs, or have the in-depth electronics knowledge to build a dedicated system. This article presents a method for building a radar auscultation system using only affordable, off-the-shelf components and minimal knowledge of electronics and electromagnetics. It details the design, manufacturing and testing of a radar based on a vector network analyzer (VNA), examining key design choices such as VNA and antenna selection and post-processing techniques. By way of illustration, the design and testing of a radar system for structural monitoring is presented.