Which component is specifically noted as the primary limiting factor for Maximum Range?

• A. Carrier Frequency
• B. Peak Power of the Transmitted
• C. Pulse Repetition Rate
• D. Receiver sensitivity with pulse repetition frequency as the primary limiting factor

Answer: (D)

Maximum range is set by whether the radar can detect a return above the noise floor. The receiver’s ability to pick up that faint echo—its sensitivity—is the fundamental limit on how far away a target can be before the return is buried in noise. Pulse repetition frequency then constrains how far you can measure without ambiguity: if the PRF is too high, echoes from farther ranges can overlap with echoes from closer pulses, making range interpretation unreliable. So, the overall limit on maximum range is determined by receiver sensitivity, with PRF acting as the primary factor that bounds range due to ambiguity. Carrier frequency and peak transmitted power influence performance, but they don’t establish the primary detection limit in the same way.