Radar Horizon Calculator

Find the radar horizon distance accounting for atmospheric bending.

Radar horizon 0.0226

Formula: d ≈ 4.12·√h (km, with h in metres)

Step-by-step with your numbers:

1. Values used:

2. Antenna height = 30

4. Radar horizon = 0.0226

Did we solve your problem today?

Radio waves bend slightly around the Earth, so the radar horizon is farther than the optical one.

The math behind it

A common approximation is d(km) ≈ 4.12·√h(m), using an effective Earth radius 4/3 the true value.

30 m antenna → about 22.6 km.

Why farther than optical horizon?

Atmospheric refraction bends radio waves more than visible light.