A compact high-power feed for a plane-array antenna

A compact high-power feed for power distribution in the horizontal plane of a C-band planar-array antenna is described. A combination of WR159 branch-guide couplers and of air-dielectric-stripline power dividers provides high power-handling capacity in the limited space available. The series-parallel feed architecture and phase-compensating waveguide sections have a calculated instantaneous signal bandwidth greater than 200 MHz. Four-port couplers and power dividers are used throughout in order to minimize the effect of varying impedances which typically occur in a scanning array antenna.