A prototype of feed subsystem for a mutilple-beam array-fed reflector antenna

This paper introduces the design of a feed subsystem for a multiple-beam array-fed reflector antenna. The prototype is composed of 37 circularly polarized horns and a complicated RF switch matrix. The feed horns are divided into four interleaved groups. Each time four adjacent feed horns, i.e., each from one group, are selected by the RF switch matrix to connect to a signal processor where the delivered signals are weighted and combined to form a radiation beam. The beam can be controlled to hop in a certain zone with the response time at the level of μs. The use of RF switch matrix reduces the cost of signal processing. By expanding the scale of feed array as well as the RF switch matrix, a much more comprehensive feed subsystem can be developed to produce multiple independent hopping beams in association with a reflector. The scheme and experimental results of the prototype are presented in the context.