The NCAS Mobile Dual-Polarisation Doppler X-Band Weather Radar (NXPol)

In recent years, mobile dual-polarisation Doppler X-bandradars have become a prevalent part of the atmospheric scientist’s toolkit for examining cloud dynamics and microphysicsand making quantitative precipitation estimates. Here we describe the National Centre for Atmospheric Science(NCAS) mobile X-bandDual-polarisation Doppler weather radar(NXPol) and the infrastructure used to deploy the radar and provide an overview of the technical specifications. It is the first radar of its kind in the United Kingdom. The NXPol is a Meteor 50DX manufactured by Selex-Gematronik (Selex ES GmbH), modified to operate with a larger 2.4 m diameter antenna that produces a 0.98° half-power beam width and without a radome. We provide an overview of the technical specifications of the NXPol with emphasis given to the description of the aspects of the infrastructure developed to deploy the radar as an autonomous observing facility in remote locations. To demonstrate the radar’s capabilities, we also present examples of its use in three recent field campaigns and its ongoing observations at the Chilbolton Facility for Atmospheric and Radio Research (CFARR).