Shipboard RF communications architectural alternative to electromechanically-based multicoupler implementations

Shipboard communications architectures that couple multiple radio frequency channels to a limited number of antennas have typically relied upon the use of cavity-tuned, electromechanically-based multicouplers. Using this approach, sufficient channel isolation can be obtained to minimize mutual, cosite interference among the various channels, however, the required multicouplers are large, expensive devices incapable of even slow rates of frequency hopping. This paper will address an alternative approach that will allow for fast frequency hopping performance while maintaining comparable cosite communications channel performance and cost.