A fast-switching diversity- and beam-forming-circuit for S-band satellite reception in fading scenarios

A fast microwave circuit for phase alignment and selection of up to three S-band antenna signals is presented. It is shown by simulation and in field tests that a significant improvement of reception quality can be achieved if phase alignment is performed with a low phase resolution of 45° and even 90°. A method of switching phases is shown which enables a lean and cost-efficient design of the diversity circuit. The fast diversity circuit is realized on a printed circuit board and evaluated in laboratory measurements as well as in real scenario test drives. The results show that even with a low resolution in phase alignment the investigated circuit yields a significant improvement of reception quality in a real fading scenario.