A broadband feed for the multiple beam conformal microstrip array

Of the conformal antennas, cylindrical arrays are regarded as those which should have the greatest practical meaning in the foreseeable future. The expected gains from their use are such that great effort is being put into enhancing their performance and ensuring their broadband operation. The expected and significant benefits provided by cylindrical antennas to wireless communications are denser subscriber locations, lowered costs for base station sites and greater spectrum utilization. In radar applications, cylindrical arrays are expected to provide omnidirectional coverage at moderate costs, and with rapid switching and data refreshment rates. We describe part of our research which focused on techniques for generating multiple beams with cylindrical arrays, and on creating relevant beamforming networks capable of operating over a wide band.