In the study of upper-atmosphere winds and densities, radar measurements of the ionized trails of meteors in the height region between 80 and 110 km have proven valuable. In the present report, this measurement technique is compared to other methods and its advantages and problems are outlined. Considerations for the design of a meteor-trail radar system are presented. The desire for a global network of meteor-trail radar stations, which would aid significantly in the study of synoptic atmospheric patterns, calls for a reliable, simple, and inexpensive design. Such a design, realized at Stanford University and tested in operation, is described in detail. Data are recorded automatically on digital magnetic tape and are reduced completely by computer; except for tape changes, the station operates unattended. Circuit diagrams, assembly, and tuning procedures for the complete station are presented, and the computer program used for data reduction is listed. The equipment was built on printed circuit cards for which negatives are available, on request, from Stanford University. (Author).