Fast determination of the element excitation of active phased array antennas

An element excitation method which provides a simple and fast way of determining the excitation of antenna elements in an active phased array as a function of the amplitude and phase setting is presented. These element ions can be used to align the amplitude and phase settings of the antenna elements of an active phased array for a desired radiation pattern. The complex electric field has to be measured in only one observation point in the far field of the antenna as a function of the element´s amplitude and phase settings. The method is described in detail and excellent experimental results are shown.<>