Evaluation of a colinear aerial array for feed-forward error correction
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Abstract
A vertical array of five colinear dipoles was built and tested at 104.8 MHz. It was hoped to confirm the feasibility of using an antenna array as the mixing network in a feed-forward corrected VHF amplifier capable of several kilowatts. The phasing and amplitude of each dipole had been calculated on a digital computer. It was predicted that this would give cancellation of the radiated signal in the far-field to a level of -50 dB over a 250 range of vertical angles. At the same time the array would provide an isolation of -15.6 dB between the Main and Subsidiary amplifiers. Testing involved design and construction of a network to drive the array with careful consideration of the errors introduced and their effect on the setting up of the array and on the field strength measurements. The resulting patterns of the array were close enouqh to the predicted ones for continued evaluation of the array to be worthwhile. The results were promising and it should be possible to further improve its performance.