The radar backscatter from various earth surfaces is sensitive to the frequency of the incident wave. This study examined the radar sensitivities for surface parameters such as soil moisture content and surface roughness of both bare and vegetated surfaces at X-band. Because L-band frequencies are often used for sensing the surface parameters, the sensitivities of X-band are also compared with those of the L-band. The sensitivities of the X-band radar backscatter were examined with respect to soil moisture content and surface roughness of rough bare soil surfaces. These sensitivities were also examined using the same parameters for vegetated surfaces for various vegetation densities and incidence angles. Use of the X-band radar for soil moisture detection was as effective as L-band radar for bare soil surfaces. For vegetated surfaces, the soil moisture could be detected using an X-band radar at lower incidence angles, where the upper limit of the incidence angles was dependent on vegetation density.