CHAPTER Al 
RAWINSONDE SYSTEMS 
Lys Rawinsonde System. The basic rawinsonde system consists of a 
balloon-borne radiosonde, a receiver and tracking unit, anda recorder, 
The most commonly used radiosonde transmits meteorological informa- 
tion consisting of pressure obtained from an aneroid cell, temperature, 
and relative humidity. The telemetered meteorological information from 
the radiosonde is detected, amplified, and shaped by a receiver and the 
processed information is printed in graphic form on a strip chart re- 
corder. An antenna array, which is an integral part of the receiving 
equipment, is used to track the radiosonde. Tracking is accomplished 
either manually or automatically. The elevation and azimuth angle infor- 
mation so obtained, in conjunction with height information computed 
from the meteorological data, is used to compute winds aloft. 
Figure Al - 1. WBRT, Tracking Unit 
OS Aga FMH#3 
