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From: mat@amdahl.UUCP (Mike Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.auto.tech
Subject: Re: Radar effectiveness
Message-ID: <2796@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Feb-86 00:17:00 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.2796
Posted: Mon Feb 17 00:17:00 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Feb-86 04:25:06 EST
References: <1134@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 30

In article <1134@decwrl.DEC.COM>, earle@miracl.DEC (Re-entrant list structures alter DNA) writes:
> Simple question, I hope easy answer:
> 
> 	I have a vinyl nose mask on my car.  It has cloth backing.  The
> way it covers those nose allows almost no metal to be seen while looking
> straight on the front of the car.  There might be a little metal to be seen
> from the top of the mask to the bottom of the windshield but it isn't very
> much because the sloping of the roof isn't that great at that point.  The
> car is a Starion so there isn't much of a 'grille' on the front.  The vents
> leading into the engine are two horizontal slots for the width of the car.
> The opening is fashioned out of plastic not metal.  The headlights are 
> retractable and they have covers for them too.  Can't see much of the roof
> either.
> 
> 	My question:  Is the front of my car 'stealthy' (sorry for the word,
> but what the h*ll); i.e. will it make a bad reflector for radar signals?

Almost certainly, the nose mask will make no difference.  
Neither will the other plastic/non-metallic parts. The primary radar
reflections come from metal structures that resonate with the radar
frequency (i.e. 1/4 wave, etc.) These may be located almost anywhere.
If non-metallic structures helped, all those Corvette drivers would be
getting away with speeding.  Sorry, 'taint so. Careful analysis of the
metal structures would help, as would radar-absorbent coatings.  I think
you can actually buy a radar-absorbent "bra," but its effect could be
totally nullified by, say, a radiator bracket that was just the right length.
-- 
Mike Taylor                        ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,amd,sun}!amdahl!mat

[ This may not reflect my opinion, let alone anyone else's.  ]