Mutual coupling-based calibration of phased array antennas

Calibration of phased arrays is typically performed once during the manufacturing process, and requires large near-field or far-field antenna ranges. Technology Service Corporation (TSC) has demonstrated that by utilizing element mutual coupling characteristics, modern arrays can be accurately calibrated using only existing array elements as sources. Arrays can therefore be calibrated and recalibrated using an automated on-board procedure, without taking the antenna out of service. This paper discusses the theory of calibration using mutual coupling, and shows successful results of tuning a modern 808-element pre-production antenna using the mutual coupling technique