Help ID this device

[Let'sgoflying!]

This was placed on the grounds of our county airport, in a place where impounded vehicles are stored. It is probably 15’ high.
We are 80 mi from the nearest ATC radar, 150 mi from the nearest NWS radar.
I’m wondering if it’s radar at all.
We are close to the southern border, the USBP is very active & we have illegals pass through all the time - just wondering is it could be one of their sensors. The do have ground sensors, the Aerostat sensors, and pickup-bed sensors that stick up 20’.
Edit: local officials are “tight-lipped” about.

 

[robin ardoin]

You better destroy that footage, pronto. That is all I'm going to say about that.

 

[iamtheari]

Whoever parked it there must have missed all the TV ads I saw as a kid telling us not to do anything near power lines, not even wear a stovepipe tophat.

We have a couple of more permanent facilities that went up about 3 years ago, which I know are part of an effort to enable unmanned operations beyond visual line of sight by having primary radar coverage to tell the drones where manned aircraft are. The rotating element is similar to what the video here shows, both size and rate of rotation. Maybe a little faster and a little narrower, but I haven’t taken a stopwatch or tape measure out to them.

 

[Sierra_Hotel]

Looks like a surface movement radar, but it's mounted pretty low for that.

 

[Velocity173]

That looks like a common bird tracking radar. Some places use those for drones as well.

 

[Sierra_Hotel]

Ahh yes, tracking the common unladen swallow.

 

[PastZTL]

I'd guess it's an Airport Surface Detection Equipment antenna. We had one SSR only radar at CSV, but it had a 10 second rotation speed.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I'd guess it's an Airport Surface Detection Equipment antenna. We had one SSR only radar at CSV, but it had a 10 second rotation speed.

wow, this is one of the quietest airports I've been to.
And there are a pile of hangars between it and a large portion of pavement

 

[PastZTL]

wow, this is one of the quietest airports I've been to.
And there are a pile of hangars between it and a large portion of pavement

I don't know, its just a guess. It is not primary radar. I'll turn the query over to the swivelheads as they have more experience in this.

 

[robin ardoin]

African or European?

Ahhhh….the obvious question.

 

[Domenick]

For those under 50 ...

 

[Velocity173]

Radar bird detection system by DETECT GLOBAL LTD | AeroExpo

The MERLIN detect & deter bird control radar system is the most advanced and proven radar system for continuous monitoring of user-defined bird and wildlife control zones and automatic activation of bird deterrent devices to prevent birds entering restricted areas. The Canadian Association of Pe...

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Avian and Bat Radar Systems

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detect-inc.com

 

[robin ardoin]

Radar bird detection system by DETECT GLOBAL LTD | AeroExpo

The MERLIN detect & deter bird control radar system is the most advanced and proven radar system for continuous monitoring of user-defined bird and wildlife control zones and automatic activation of bird deterrent devices to prevent birds entering restricted areas. The Canadian Association of Pe...

www.aeroexpo.online

Avian and Bat Radar Systems

The MERLIN™ avian and bat radar systems can conduct risk assessments, monitoring, mortality mitigation planning and research using radar. Find out more here.

detect-inc.com

Ok…so the question still stands, sort of- can it discriminate between an African or European Swallow? Coconuts can be carried by either species so that would not be of help in the reflectivity pattern. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[aterry1067]

Ok…so the question still stands, sort of- can it discriminate between an African or European Swallow? Coconuts can be carried by either species so that would not be of help in the reflectivity pattern. Inquiring minds want to know.

Noooo. An African swallow, sure. But a European swallow can’t carry a coconut. Maybe two of them could; they could grab it by the husk.