Too bad I cannot cluster my posts. Moderator can you please merge my last three posts?
After reading a bit more, I understand now that SPY-1D(V) can channel the full power of its 6MW amplifier per antenna face. That totally blows out of the water the 125kW peak power of the Type 346 face. My guess: the numbers in the wiki page are wrong. Or is there some mechanism that would explain the enormous power disparity?
What I learned is that radars operate in pulse mode and when they send out a pulse they need to wait many microseconds for the reflection. At extreme ranges this can even be a few miliseconds. This puts a hard limit as to how many pulses they can send out. Apparently the SPY-1 operates at a typical duty cycle of 1/100, or a bit higher in newer variants. I.e. it radiates only 1% of the time. This results in an "average transmitter power of at least 77 kW" per face for SPY-1D(V).
Pulse length depends on the range, because you have to wait for the echo before you can transmit again. You need enough time to receive the echo. You do this by calculating the pulse time against the speed of light divided by two (send and return). If the pulse cycle and the receive period is too short, you will miss the echo. Shorter range, faster PRF. Longer range, lower PRF. More than just a strict limit, range directly determines the length of your duty cycle, and its universal to all radars.
Plus: Shorter PRF gets you better accuracy about its speed but you get greater ambiguity about range. Longer PRF gives you more ambiguity about its speed but greater accuracy about range.
