Unified method for determining the complex propagation constant of reflecting and nonreflecting transmission lines

In this letter, a unified method for computing the complex propagation constant (gamma) of reflecting and nonreflecting lines is presented. The method uses a new matrix representation of the wave cascade matrix of a line having any characteristic impedance. To overcome the sign ambiguity problem inherent to the classical method some parameters of the fictitious X/sub AM/ matrix are used and determined by the method itself. The success of the new procedure to resolve the sign ambiguity problem lies in the new matrix representation of the wave cascade matrix of a line having any characteristic impedance and in the reliable criterion to determine the a/sub m//c/sub m/ and b/sub m/ parameters of the fictitious X/sub AM/ matrix.