Inventors:
Bryant Ford Anderson - Sandy UT
Joseph Mark Baird - Sandy UT
Douglas Melville Harrison - Salt Lake City UT
Charles Andrew Deneris - Bountiful UT
Paul Johann Gartside - Kaysville UT
Friedrich J. Fisher - Bountiful UT
Mark Johnathon Yamamoto - Fruit Heights UT
Assignee:
L-3 Communications Corporation - New York NY
International Classification:
H01Q 1300
Abstract:
A feed system for an antenna has a set of inner and outer coaxial waveguides which apply, respectively, both higher and lower frequency radiations to a common radiating aperture provided by a horn and shroud which envelops radiating apertures of the individual feed waveguides. Each of the feed waveguides carries signals having a bandwidth of an octave. Lower frequency radiation to be transmitted by the outer coaxial feed waveguide is applied thereto by a set of four waveguides of a launcher which launches a wave with a desired propagation mode into the outer feed waveguide. Each of the launch waveguides is initially a rectangular double-ridged waveguide for increase bandwidth. The ridging is reduced to a condition of no ridging in the outer feed waveguide by a transition to a single inner ridge which terminates in a tapered star-shaped combination ridge within the outer feed waveguide. Impedance matching rings are slidable within the space between the inner and outer surfaces of the coaxial waveguide for development of a desired standing wave ratio for accurate generation of a desired beam pattern. A dielectric rod is disposed in a forward end of the tube of the inner feed waveguide and protrudes therefrom into the horn for shaping a beam of the higher frequency radiation.