PRECO Electronics® has been designing and manufacturing short range radar sensors since 2001. Extensive testing of these sensors is required to validate operation. Older versions of the PreView® Radar sensors had a short detection range (<10 meters) and the PRECO engineering team has been able to do much of the performance testing on an indoor test range. The latest generation of PreView® sensors, such as the Sentry™, have a much longer detection range of 30 meters, necessitating a different testing area.
Different locations in the Boise area, such as gravel lots and busy parking lots, were used by the engineering team for testing. But, it quickly became apparent that a dedicated outdoor test range was needed.
For real world target testing, an outdoor test range was developed by the engineering team behind PRECO’s Boise, Idaho headquarters. Measuring over 100 feet (30m) deep by 200 feet (60m) wide, the graded test range allows both range and angle measurements to be made with multiple targets.