A method of detecting radar returns and measuring their parameters with or without clutter present and no clutter cancellation employed which includes transmitting at least one pulse; processing the returns surpassing a threshold detected in one range azimuth bin and by processing and separating out the returns based on their different range and azimuth. Another method includes transmission of many pulses and has minimum of one channel return surpassing detected threshold, which is detected in one range Doppler bin. The method also includes processing and thereby separating out the returns based on their different radial velocity and or azimuth and comparing the returns to a database of expected returns and adaptively processing returns that do not correspond to the expected returns. The method identifies the non-corresponding returns as indicative of at least one of clutter, land sea interface, clutter discretes and antenna sidelobe returns each without utilizing clutter cancellation.