Using the RTG List Mode Utility

List Mode Utility Functions

The List Mode Utility helps you work with the CSV files that define lists of radar targets for the Radar Target Generator. The List Mode Utility performs three primary tasks:

Convert—Change a file from one list mode type to another (for use cases such as migrating older files to a current format).

Create Template—Generate a correctly structured starter file that you fill in.

Validate—Check an entire file for errors and report every problem by line number.

The List Mode Utility is a convenience tool. The RTG works without it, but the List Mode Utility makes creating, maintaining, and validating list mode files faster and less prone to errors.

List Mode Files

A list mode file is a CSV text file. Each data line in the file describes one or more radar targets, along with timing and synchronization information that tells the generator when to apply each line. Files may also contain the following:

• A version header that identifies the file type
• Optional column headers that label each field
• Optional comments (lines beginning with #) for human-readable notes

List Mode File Types

The List Mode Utility recognizes the following list mode file types:

Basic—Targets defined by fundamental parameters.

Range-Velocity—Targets defined using range and relative velocity.

Time-Frequency—Targets defined using time and frequency.

Legacy—An older format used by previous RTG versions. This is no longer supported for new work.

Note The List Mode Utility can convert a Legacy file into one of the current types (Basic, Range‑Velocity, or Time‑Frequency), but it cannot convert a file back to Legacy.