Experimental study on adaptive arrays for mobile satellite reception

Consideration is given to an adaptive antenna array system in which the element signals are phase shifted with a discrete graduation of 22.5 degrees (4-bit phase shifter). The applied adaption methods need only input information, which can easily be provided by the receiver. To prove the efficiency of such a simplified adaptive antenna array, experimental tests have been carried out in a realistic signal movement. The test system was developed for the frequency range of 12 GHz and allows the radiation pattern to be affected to one plane. It consists of a 16-element microstrip linear array with half-wavelength spacing. Experimental results are presented. The efficiency of the array is demonstrated for a critical reception environment, characterized by a single directly radiated wave front and many reflected components.<>