Radar Identification

There are 6 ways to radar identify an aircraft, split up into 2 categories of 3 each

Primary radar and Secondary radar.

What is Primary radar?

Primary radar detects aircraft by reflecting radio waves from the radar antenna.

Primary radar is just a dot on your screen. There is no callsign or altitude information, just the range, azimuth, and speed of the target.

What is Secondary radar?

Secondary radar relies on aircraft transponders to transmit information.

When you give an aircraft a beacon code, you are asking your radar to search for an aircraft transmitting that code.

Secondary radar gives you Callsign and altitude information.

Primary radar identification

• Turn of at least 30 degrees

  • “(callsign), turn 30 degrees [left/right] for radar identification.”

• Position report

  • Observing a target whose position with respect to a fix displayed on the video map, or a visual reporting point, corresponds with a direct position report received from an aircraft, and the observed track is consistent with the reported heading or route of flight.

    • “Portland App (Callsign), 15 miles north of PDX, inbound full stop with ATIS A”

Note: Altitude information is not required, but is helpful if multiple aircraft are in the same area.

• Departure

  • Observing a departing aircraft target within 1  mile of the departure end at airports with an operating control tower, so long as a verbal/nonverbal rolling/boundary notification is issued for each departure.

Secondary radar identification

• Ident

  • “(callsign), ident.”

• Change Squawk

  • “(callsign), squawk (code).”

• Squawk STBY/C

  • “(callsign), squawk mode standby for radar identification” then “(callsign), squawk mode normal for radar identification”