When should suppression zones be established relative to auto-acquisition?

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Suppression zones are sectors the radar automatically ignores for acquisition and tracking. Establishing them before activating auto-acquisition ensures the automatic search respects those filters from the very start, preventing unwanted echoes from being picked up or tracked. If you wait until auto-acquisition has begun, echoes in those zones might already have been acquired, making suppression less effective and increasing clutter or false tracks. Weather or range conditions don’t change the need to set these zones beforehand—they’re a standard filter applied whenever auto-acquisition runs. Setting suppression zones prior to enabling auto-acquisition keeps the system focused on the targets you actually need to monitor straight away.