50-kw Antenna Switching System

There are many HF radio installations today that illustrate the need for an improved antenna switching technique. Today there is a growing requirement to connect rapidly any one of several 50-kw transmitters to any one of many antennas. An antenna switching system must be broad-band, convenient to use, fast, safe for operating personnel, and free of appreciable impedance discontinuities. This paper describes several components and techniques that solve the transmitter-antenna selection problem up to a 50-kw power level. The influence of switching techniques on RF transmission, impedance conversion and antennas are also discussed.