Antennafier arrays

The integrated transistorized dipole antennafier (antenna-amplifier) is ideally suited for use in array systems. The advantages include ease of amplitude-distribution control, low noise, high gain, high reliability and simplicity. The integration is achieved by using the antenna as a circuit element of the transistorized amplifier, thus eliminating the tuned input circuits and transmission lines commonly used. A four-element broadside array of antennafiers is described in which the gain of each element is varied by controlling the base bias. Binomial, uniform, edge and Dolph-Chebyshev distributions were chosen to show the wide variation of beam control possible; the resulting measured and calculated patterns, half-power beamwidths, gain over a half-wavelength dipole, and noise temperatures are presented. A method of experimentally evaluating the noise performance, based on a theoretical development, is also described.