This Letter presents the creation, examination, and properties of a compact short pulse radar antenna for close-range pulsed radar imaging applications. We conducted an in-depth study on the antipodal Vivaldi antenna by varying the slope of its exponentially tapered radiating element and meticulously analyzed the resulting pulse response in the time domain. To determine the most effective design, we introduce an evaluation criterion (EC). Utilizing this EC, Case3 exhibits the best performance from a time domain perspective, with parameters of n_1,n_(2,) n_3,and n_4 are 4,1,1,9, respectively. Additionally, we introduce a resistance-tapered Vivaldi antenna designed through an innovative formula. This leads to a size reduction of approximately 50% compared to conventional antennas of equivalent length.