Coast Guard Exams
Question 887Navigation General70% to pass

You have another ship overtaking you close aboard to starboard. You have 3 radar targets bearing 090° relative at ranges of .5 mile, 1 mile, and 1.5 miles. In this case, the unwanted echoes are called _______________.

AI Explanation
The correct answer is A) multiple echoes. Multiple echoes refer to the situation where the radar system displays more than one echo from the same target. This can occur when the radar signal reflects off the water surface or other objects before reaching the actual target, creating additional echoes at different ranges. In the given scenario, the three radar targets at 0.5 mile, 1 mile, and 1.5 miles are all from the same overtaking ship, so they are considered multiple echoes. The other options are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the situation. Indirect echoes refer to signals that reach the radar via a different path, side-lobe echoes are caused by side lobes in the radar antenna pattern, and spoking is a visual effect on the radar display caused by the rotation of the antenna.

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