An Adaptive Multiple Beam System Concept

An adaptive multiple beam system, which has flexibility to adapt beam power to varying beam traffic, is proposed. The multiple beam transmitter, which is called "hybrid transponder" in this paper, consists of a pair of multiport hybrids and a set of amplifying elements. Power combining, isolation, and intermodulation characteristics of this multiport network are analyzed. Also, a new interbeam exchange and feeder link connection concept, which serves as the basis for an adaptive multiple beam system, is proposed. Finally, characteristics of an experimental 8-amplifier 8-port hybrid transponder are described.