The range scale on a radar display primarily determines what?

• A. The Outer Radius of the Display
• B. It Tunes the Receiver's AGC
• C. It Controls the Doppler Processing
• D. It Adjusts the Azimuthal Scan Rate

Answer: (A)

Range scale is about how distance is shown on the screen. It maps range to the display radius, so it sets the maximum distance the radar picture can depict and defines how far out you can see targets. If you choose a larger range scale, the outer edge of the display represents a greater distance, letting you view farther targets. If you choose a smaller range scale, the picture zooms in and you see closer targets with a smaller outer radius. This control only changes how distance is displayed; it doesn’t affect how strong the signal is (AGC), nor how Doppler processing works, nor how fast the antenna sweeps in azimuth.