[Milsurplus] RADAR Simulator Question

[J. Forster]

In designing a simulator for a WW II vintage SG-1 RADAR, a design question
has come up.

First off, the RADAR has a PPI display and the objective is to create a
realistic looking display on the console screen and also on various
repeater displays located about the ship (Battleship Massachusetts).

Rather than stripping the guts out of the displays and replacing them w/
LCDs, they'd prefer to emulate the original signals and use the existing
hardware as built.

The PPI displays are magnetic deflection CRTs w/ rotating yokes. Each
display has a yoke servo that takes a synchro signal from the antenna.
This is no problem at all. The same signal will be digitized and used as
an address in a scene PROM or RAM.

The sweeps will all be locally generated w/in the displays, requiring only
a trigger signal as originally done.

My question is about the video. We'll either inject that as an AM
modulated signal at IF frequency or at baseband, but the issue is how many
bits are needed to create a realistic video display?

I can only hazard a guess here, as I've never tried it before. At a WAG,
I'd say somewhere between 2 and 8 bits should suffice, but I really don't
know. One more thing. I don't know, but don't think the RADAR has an IF
gain that varies w/ the sweep, but am not positive.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Best,
-John

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