Design and testing of an 8.5 GHz polarization-sensitive grid power combiner at 500 kW CW

A power combiner using a polarization-sensitive quasi-optical grid has been designed to operate at 8.5 GHz and 1 MW CW (continuous wave). The CW radar at 8.5 GHz is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Goldstone, California, for imaging planets and asteroids. The combiner has been successfully tested at 500 kW CW. The design and operating principle are discussed, and the evaluation facilities and instrumentation used in high-power testing are presented.<
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