With regard to tuning a radar gun, do radar waves bounce off fast moving air molecules or off the tuning fork?

Question

Please respond ONLY if you actually know the answer (i.e. no opinions). Thanks.

Answer 1

Air is transparent to radar.  The tuning fork is not.  Radar does not bounce off of fast moving air molecules, it passes through them.

Actually, depending on the band (probably K-band), then air is not perfectly transparent, because water vapor absorbs K-band.  But for the purposes of tuning, it shouldn't have an effect, just as long as you don't do the tuning out in heavy fog or rain.  Of course, high humidity, heavy fog, or rain will affect radar results.