l.

Orr
nnas
ap 6,
The SimplestPhasedArray
JAIUN

Fair-
rllkill,
FeedSystem...That Worlis
trom
o.
By Roy Lewallen, WTEL
5470 SW 152 Ave
Beaverton,OR 97007

I a. any amateurs having a phased_ 3) If the elementsfit the abovedescrip-

ll/I array anrennause rhe feed system tion, and in additionareself-resonant and
J.YL shown in Fig l, with the differ_ closeto % \ high, you can useTable I in-
ence between the electrical lengths of the
steadof the program, if desired.
feed lines equaling the desiredphaseangle. 4) If you can't measureor estimatethe
The result is often disappointing.The rea-
s e l f - a n d m u t u a l i m p e d a n c e sw i t h
sons for poor results are twofold.
reasonableaccuracy,and your elements
l) The phaseshift through each feed line
don't fit the descriptiongivenin approach
is not equal to its electricallength, and
3, you'relikelyto getpoor resultswith this
2) The feed line changes the magnitude
feed system.A betterapproachwould be
of the current from input to output.
to usethe L-network feedsystemdescribed
This surprising combination of events TO STAIION in TheAntennaBook. It's quite simpleand
occurs in nearly all amateur arrays because
hasthe advantage ofbeing adjustable. Ad-
of the significant, and sometimesdramatic.
Fig 1-A typical feed system for two- _iustment methodsalso are givenin The
change in element feed-point impedances
elemenl phased arrays. See iext for a dis- Antenno Book,
by mutual coupling. The element feed- cussionof
the feed-linelengths.Grounds
point impedances-the load impedances and cable shrelds have Using The Program
been omitted for
seenby the feed lines-affect the delav and clarity. Program I was purposefullywritten in
transformarion ratio of the cables.Ii isn't
a very simpleform of BASIC. It shouldrun
a small effect, either. phasing errors of
on nearlyany computerwithout modifica-
severaltens of degreesand element-current
tion. If you encounterdifficulty, the most
ratios of 2:l are nol uncommon. Amone
likely causeis that the program was not
the very fe* antennaswhich do work ari fully done, this approach will lead to the copiedexactlyas printed.
arrays of only two elementsfed completely best array performance. The first promptsare for the self-Rand
i n p h a s e( 0 " ) o r o u t o f p h a s e( 1 8 0 " ) . T h i s
2) Estimate the self- and mutual im- X of the elements.These are the im-
topic is covered in detail in The ARRL pedances.Methods and graphs are given in pedances which would be measuredat the
Anlenna Book.l
the The Antenno Book. This approach can baseof eachelementwith the otherelement
It is possible,however,to usethe system lead
to very good array performance ii the open-circuitedat the base.The self-Rin-
shown in Fig I and have the element
array elements are straight and parallel, and cludesany lossresistance. The remainder
currents come out the way we want. The
with no loading elements or unusual of the promptsareself-explanatory. Refer
trick is to use feed-linelengthswhich give
features. to Table 2, the samplerun, for an example
the desireddelay and transformation ratio
when looking into the actual element
impedances. More specifically, we choose
the feed-line lengths to give the desired ratio Table 1
of currents,with the correct relativephas- PhasingLine Lengthsfor a 90o-Fed,90o-spacedrwo-ErementArray
ing. This paper explains how to find the See Flg 1.
correct feed-line lengths, and includes a
No. Radials _-_-pfi63ing Lines-----
BASIC program to do the calculations. !o
Ohms per Element Z, Ohms Elect Length (Deg)
(Seethe Program I listing near the end of
I Z Line I Line 2
this paper.) Table I gives results for a
65 4 5 0 5 0 No solution
90"-fed, 90'-spaced, 2-element arrav.
75 75 No solution
Calcularion of the feed-linelengrhs,with 75 50 30.36 104.96
or without the program, requires 95.13 162.96
knowledgeof the elementself- and mutual 54
50 50 No solution
impedances.Most of us don't know these 75 75 68.15 154.29
impedances for our arrays, so one of 132.60 184.95
severalapproachescan be taken. 45 16 50 50 No solution
| ) Measure the self- and mutual 75 75 58.69 153.48
impedancesusing the techniquesdescribed 144.43 183.39
in The Antenno Book (seenote I). If care_ 36 6 50 50 80.56 154.53
131.68 173.23
75 75 51.61 155.40
tNotesappearon page 29. 153.86 179.13

25
 your array, the tablevalueswon't be valid.
Table 2
Two Four-Elemeni Arrays
SampleRun of Program1 for a 90o'Spaced,90o-FedArray
The Antenna Book (note l) describesa
Calculatlons a.e for regonant elements, approximetely %'\ hlgh' with 8 ground
radials per element. feed system for two types of four-element
"cur-
arrays basedon a combination of the
BUN
rent forcing" method and an L network.
SELF R, X OF LEADINGELEMENT(OHMS) Information on these arrays, the current
? 54,O
forcing method, and practical advice on
SELF R, X OF LAGGINGELEMENT(OHMS) how to measurethe various line sections
? 54,0
can be found in Chapter 8 of The Anlen-
MUTUALR, X IOHMS) na Book. The L network can be replaced
? 20,-15
by two feed lines, resultingin the feed sys-
EL.2:E1.1CURRENTMAGNTTUDE, PHASE(DEGREES)
_PHASE MUST BE ZERO OR NEGATIVE tems shown in Figs 2 and 3. The principte
is the same as for the two-elementarray,
1,-90
although the mathematicsare a bit differ-
FEEDLINE1, 2 IMPEDANCES(OHMS)
ent due to the presenceof the lt/4 or 3 )t/4
? 50.50
lines and the difficulty of including the
NO SOLUTIONFOR THE SPECIFIEDPARAMETERS.
mutual impedancesbetweenall elements.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY DIFFERENT
FEEDLINEZO'S(Y,N)?Y The mathematicsare describedin the next
(OHMS) section.
F E E D L I N E1 , 2 I M P E D A N C E S
,> -?c 7q

Z0= 75 OHMS Z0= 75 OHMS

TO LEAD. EL. TO LAG. EL.
ELECT.L. (DEG.) ELECT.L. (DEG.)
FIRSTSOLN. 132.6038 184.9522
s E c o N DS O L N . 6 8 . 1 5 1 8 154.2918
ok

of program operation. lines have the same impedance,direction-

Sometimes you might get the result, No al switching will be possiblewhile main-
SOLUTION FOR THE SPECIFIED PARAMETERS. taining correct phasing.
This doesn't mean there's a solution which
the program couldn't find; it means that
there really is no solution for the specified
Using the Table rY >/ \/4
Table I gives the feed-line lengths neces- '.-.eo'f
conditions. If this happens, try different
sary to correctly feed a 90'-fed, 90'-spaced, \ 2
feed-line impedances. I've found a combi-
2-element array. The table is based on the
nation of common feed-line impedances
following assumptions:
which will work with nearly every array I've
I ) The elements are identical and
wanted to feed, but there are some which Fig 2-Feed systemfor the four'square
parallel.
can't be fed using this method. a r r a y .G r o u n d sa n d c a b l es h t e l d sh a v e
2) The ground systemsof the elements been omittedfor clarity.The lrnesmarked
Whenever there is a solution, there's also " " ' a r c a l l t h e s a m el e n g t h ,h a v et h e
have equal loss.
a second one. Both are computed by the
3) The elements are resonant when not same Ze, and are electricallyeitherV4 or
program. It may be necessary to use the
coupled to other elements. A height of 3V4 long.The other lines are discussedIn
longer set of feed-line lengths in order to
23'7/fMHz will be close to resonance for the text.
make the feed lines physically reach the ele-
most vertical elements.
ments. You can also add lz )t of cable to
4) The elements are not loaded and do
both f eedlines and maintain correct oper-
not have matching networks at their bases.
ation. For example, the array in the sam-
Traps generally act like loading elements
ple program run of Table 2 can be fed with
on the lower bands.
two 75-ohm lines of the following lengths "thin." HF
5) The elementsare fairly
(given in electrical degrees).
antennas made from wire, tubing, or com- |lg'
68. l5 " and 154.29" mon tower sections fit this category. .I-
I
132.60'and184.95' 6) Your ground isn't unusually dry or 9'' Zor
2 4 8 . 1 5 "a n d 3 3 4 . 2 9 ' swampy. If it is, you may have more or less

I'
IC SIATON
3 1 2 . 6 0 "a n d 3 6 4 . 9 5 ' ( o r 4 . 9 5 " ) element self-resistancethan shown for the
The first two sets are the lengths given by number of radials. The resistance versus lllg lf ', eq'
ol
the program. A half wavelength is added number of radials is based on measure- E L 4

to both lines to make sets 3 and 4. Note ments by Sevick.2

that a full wavelength can be subtracted Since so many factors can affect ground
from the second line length in the last set. losses and element self- and mutual
Occasionally it's necessaryto make the impedances,the tables probably won't give
Fig 3-Feed syst€mfor a four'€lementrec-
feed-line impedances different from each exactly the best feed-line lengths for your tangulararray.Groundsand cable shields
other. If you want to be able to switch the array. But if the above assumptionsapply, ha,vebeen omitted for clarity. The lines
"'" are all electrically3V4 long
pattern direction but have unequal feed-line it's very likely that your array will work marked
impedances,add % \,of line from each ele- better using the recommended feed-line and have the same 4. The other linesare
ment to the phasing feed line. If both %-\ lengths.If the assumptionsdon't describe discussedin the text.

26
 <-_-- "_ .' -*-a -. --@,**,. -'.a+,.r
ar d."- -.e. '!{.*"*' .dr{_.#rr{*rigdu--#ff_**

, alid. Tables 3 and 4 give feed-line lengths for

these two arrays. The same restrictions Table 3
apply to the four-element tables as to the PhaslngLlne Lengthsfor a Four SguareArray
bes a two-element table. They were calculated Soc Flg 2.
ment using modified versionsof the BASIC pro-
'cur- gram. These programs, which apply only Rn' No. Radials V4 -Pfp3lng Unnlg.-
Ohms pr Element Line Za Zq Ohms Et€ct Length (Deg)
.o r k . to the four-square and rectangular arrays,
Ohms A B Line A Une B
rrent are listed as Programs 2 and 3.
6 5 4 5 0 50 50 20.66 166.s0
eon
The Mgthemetics 147.94 n4.91
rions 75 75 13.70
For an array to work properly, the ele- 170.60
tlen- 158.00 197.70
aced ment currents needto have the correct rela- 75 50 50 No solution
sys- tionship. So let's first look at the general 75 75 32.03 162.26
-'iple problem of feeding two loads with a specif- 133.53 212j8
ray, ic ratio ofcurrents (Fig a). The desiredcur- 54 50 50 50 25.82 166.32
t'fer- rent ratio, 12/11,is a complex number with 138.25 209.61
)\/ 4 two parts: magnitude M12 and angle 9,". 75 75 16.80 170.01
the Both parts must be correct for the array ib 1 5 1. 1 3 n2.o6
'nts. work as planned. Assuming for the mo- 75 50 50 No solution
next ment that we know what the load im- 75 75 45.11 167.22
pedancewill be, we can write the following 115.95 211.72
equation for feed-line no. l. 45 16 50 50 50 u.57 168.71
123.73 212.98
V i n = I r 2 1 c o s 0 1+ J - l r Z o rs i n d 1 ( E q l ) 75 75 21.15 170.17
141.45 n7.23
where 50 50 22.6 121.53
Vin = voltage at the input end of the 1U.77 261.U
line 75 75 No solution
It = current at the output end of the 36 50 50 No solution
line 75 75 31.37 173.66
Zt : load impedance at the output end 121.79 213.18
of the line 75 50 50 33.55 122.94
dr : electrical length of the line in 1n.u 263.s0
degreesor radians 'Self-impedance, 75 75 No solution
includinglosses.
4r = characteristic impedance of the
line
Vin, Ir, and Z l are complex
This is the general equation which relates
Table4
the output current to the input voltage for
a losslesstransmission line.3 A similar PhaalngLlne Lengrthsfor a Four ElementRectangularArray
equation can be written for the second feed Scc Flg 3.
line. Since the feed lines are connected Rn' No. Radiats gV4 ------Ph.slng Unes-.
together at their input ends, the input volt- Ohms pr Ehment Line Zq Z.o Ohms EtectLength(Deg)
ages are equal, and we can write Ohms A B LineA LineB
Vin = Ir 21 cos 01 + jI1 Zu sin 01 6 5 4 S O 50 50 37.37 155.34
't32.87
179.10
Vrn = Iz 22 cos 02 + jI2 Zs2 sin 02 75 75 24.95 162.22
Rearranging to solve for the current ratio 150.41 181.47
75 50 50 No solution
glves 75 75 66.82 153.30
l2 (21 cos 0r + jZot sin 0) 87.U 161.46
g
T=@1Eo2t 50 50 59.02 151.97
100.15 163.93
75 75 35.79 157.33
This equationcan be usedto illustrate 135.'f7 175.4
the problems of feeding unequal load 75 50 50 No solution
impedances(presentin the elementsof 75 75 No solution
most arrays).For example,if valuesthat 75 50 8.44 112.55
might be found in a 90.-spaced,90.-fed 67.01 129.30
affay are
45 16 50 50 50 No solution
75 75 62.38 152.17
Zr = 35 - j2o0. 75
98.08 159.50
Zz = 65 + j20A 50 s0 No solution
75 75 No solution
4r=42=5oo 75 50 12.61 99.74
0l = 90', and d2 = ltQo 64.34 114.66
36 50 50 50 No solution
then 12,/11
would be 0.735at an angteof 75 75
- 107o,not I at an angleof - 90oasplan- No solution
75 50 50 52.U 99.08
ned. ln a real array, becauseof mutual 176.88 274.n
coupling, the element feed-point 75 75 No solulion
impedancesare modified by the cuirents 'S€lt-impedance,
includinglosses.

27
 ations can actually diverge for some arrays
"damping."
unlessthe program includes
-T_l L r N E1 e l , Z o l L r N E2 e 2 , Z 0 2
Fortunately, an iterativeapproach isn't

' l r-T necessary,since Eq 7 can be solveddirectly

for feed-line lengths. The method is
u r\ l l v2
l straightforward, although tedious, and was
l'z

I t i l done using several variable transformations

to keep the equations manageable.The de-
I t tails won't be describedhere. The BASIC
progriuns presentedat the end of this paper
use the direct solution method, and the
Fig a-p""O,ng two load impedanceswith specific currents. This example assumesthat validity of the results can be confirmed by
Z1 and 22 are not atfected by mutual coupling. substitution into Eq 7.
The feed system can be adapted to cer-
tain larger arrays by combining it with the
current forcing method described in The
Antenna Book (seeFigs 2 and 3). The basic
flowing in the elements.But the element V1 and V2 from Eqs 3 and 4 are substi- requirement is to make the voltages at
currentsare a function of the elementfeed- tuted into Eqs 5 and 6. The right sides of points A and B have the proper ratio and
point impedances,so Eq 2 can't be used Eqs 5 and 6 are set equal to each other, phase angle. If this is accomplished,the
directly to calculatecurrentsin array ele- since Vin is the same for both feed lines. elementswill have correct currents because
ments.To write an equationwhich will do Finally, the resulting equation is rearranged of the properties of the %-X lines. ?'fte
that, we needto modify Fig 4 to account to solve for 12/11. Antenna Book shows the use of an L net-
for the effect of mutual coupling(Fig 5). l2 2 1 1 c o s 0 1 - Z p c o s 0 2+ 1 2 6 1s i n 0 1 work to obtain the voltagephaseshift; the
From the diagram, same thing can be accomplishedby using
I1 222 cos02- 212 cos?1+jZs2sin02
two feed lines of the correct length.
(Eq 3) (Eq 7)
Vr = Ir Zs + l2Zp To seehow we can use the program to
solve the problem, we'll rewrite Eq 2 to
Y z = l z Z 2 2 + 1 1Z p (Eq 4) This is the same as Eq 2 except that an apply to the currents and impedancesat
additional term containing mutual im- points A and B:
pedance Zpappears in both the numera-
where IB Z 4 c o s 0 1 +j Z u s i n 0 1
Vn : voltage at the feed point of ele- tor and denominator. Given the element = (tq d)
ment n self- and mutual impedances and the Eq Z;cosl;liz;$-r.;
lengths and impedances of the feed lines,
In : current at the feed point of ele-
Eq 7 can be used to find the resulting ratio BecauseVe : Ie Z6 and Vs = Is Zg,
ment n
Znn : self-impedance of element n (the of currents in the elements. The problem then
we're trying to solve, though, is the other
feed-point impedance when the ele-
ment is totally isolated from all other
way around: how to find the feed-line vB zB lB
lengths, given the current ratio and other
elements)
factors. Christman described an iterative
4r^=
Zrz : mutual imPedance between the zB Z4 cos 0y + jZu sin 01
elements method of using Eq 7 to solve the problem (Eq 9)
by beginnin! with an initial estimate of Z^ Zs cos 02 + jZs2 sin 02
All variables are complex
feed-line lengths, finding the resulting
current ratio, correcting the estimate, and Note the similarity to Eq 7, which is the
A slightly different form of Eq I is
repeating until the answer convergeson the equation the program solvesfor 01 and 0y
Vin = Vr cos d1 * j\ Zot sin 01 @q 5) correct answer.a This method gives We can use the progrrun to solve Eq 9 if we
accurate answers. and I used it for some l) Enter Za when it prompts for the
and for the second feed line
time. The disadvantageof the approach is self-Z of element l,
Vin : Vz cos 02 * jlz Zoz sin 02 (Eq 6) that convergencecan be slow, and the iter- 2) Enter Zs when it prompts for the
self-Z of element 2.
3) Enter 0,0 when it prompts for the
mutual R, X, and
4) Enter (VB/VA) (Z^/ZBl when it
prompts for the desiredcurrent ratio. For
L | N E1 e l , Z o 1 L | N E2 % , z 0 2 the two four-elementarrays,

f VB/VA:0-jl =l/-90".

The following steps are required to

1,1 calculate Z^/ZB.

I l) Measure or estimate the self- and

mutual impedancesof the elements.
2) Using the self- and mutual im-

I ELEMENT'1 E L E M E N 2T
pedancesand the current ratios, calculate
the actual elementfeed-pointimpedances.
The method is describedin The Anlenno
Book.
3) Calculatethe impedanceslooking into
Fig S-Feeding two antenna elements with specific currents. The voltage sourc€s are the \/4 or 3\/4 lines.
added to account for mutual coupling. 4) Where two of the lines are connected,

28
le arays calculatethe parallelimpedance.Thesewill lenghs severalyearsago.However,I didn't using, but it's likely to give you much bet-
mping." be Ze, and Zs' try to publish the resultsbecauseof the ter results. Try it!
ich isn't 5) Calculate the ratio Z^/ZB- Iargeamount of explanationwhich would
r directly ProgramI hasbeenmodified to do these haveto go with it-why the commonfeed
thod is calculationsfor you. The modifiedBASIC method frequentlyis disappointing,and
and was programs are listedas Programs2 and 3' explaining the current forcing and L- Notes
mations iAll thre. programsare availableon dis- network feedsystems,the role of mutual lG. L. Hall,Ed,TheARRLAntennaB@k,15thed.
The de- see (Newington:ARRL,1988),Chap 8.
iettefor theIBM PC and compatibles; couplingin phasedarrays,etc. I want to 4J.Sevick,"The Ground-lmage VerticalAntsn-
BASIC information on an early page of this thank JerryHall, KITD, for providingthe na," OSf, Jul 1971,pp 1S19,22.Also"The
rispaper book.-Ed.l You must know the self- opportunity to explain them in a forum W2FMIGround-t\iount€d ShortVertical," OSf,"
and the impedance of an element(all are assumed which is readily available to amateurs Mar 1973,pp 1318,41.(Summaryinformation
-medby -Chapter 8 of TheARRL Antenna Book. fromthesearticlesis presentedgraphicallyin
to beidentical)and the mutualimpedances Fig 23, p &23 ot The AntennaBook-see
betweenall elementsin order to use the Your array will work betterif properly note 1).
i to cer- modifiedprograms. fed. This feedsystemisn't any more com- zRelerence Data fot Radio Engineerc,sth ed.
,viththe (Howard
plicatedthan the one you've probablybeen rA. W. Sams & Co, 1968).
ClosingCommenls Christman,"Fe€dingPhasedAnays:An Aher-
in The nativeMelhod,"Ham Radio,May 1985,p 58
hebasic I first solved Eq 7 for the feed-line and Jul 1985,p 74.

published
Originally in the ARRLAntennaCompendium,Vol. 2.
Copyright by permission.
O 1989by theAmericanRadioRelayLeague,lnc.Reproduced

UserNotes- March23,2005

A numberof arrayshave beenbuiltand testedusingthe methoddescribedin the article.All

workedas predicted.
Thesearrayscan be and havebeenmodeled,andthe modelsalsoshow
performanceas predicted.

The originalarticleincludeda BASIC code listingfor all the programs.You can get the
complete original GWBASIC source code and executableprograms by downloading
SfMPFEED.ZIP A newWindowsprogramwith advancedfeaturesis
fromftp:l/eznec.com/pub/.
whichusesthe principles
available detailedin the article.Following of the new
is a description
program:

Simpfeed

Simpfeedis a Windowsapplication for designingthe feed networksfor severalarrcytypes.lt

requiresEZNECor the free EZNECdemoprogram(http://eznec.com/demoinfo.htm) to provide
the feedpointimpedancedata it needs.EZNECcan also be usedto modelthe resultingall-
transmissionline fed array.Simpfeedincludesa manualwith a detailedexampleof its use.
exe. This is a self-
Simpfeedis availableat http://eznec.com/Amateur/Articles/SimpfeedZip
ZIP filewhichcontainsthe programand manual.No specialinstallation
extracting is required.
However,it does requirethe VisualBasic6 runtimefiles.Theseare presenton all Windows
ME, 2000,and XP systems,and they'reinstalled with EZNECor the EZNECdemoprogram.
So on some systemsit mightbe necessaryto installEZNECor the EZNEGdemo program
beforerunningSimpfeed.

After downloading and runningthe SimpfeedZip file, put the resultingfiles into the same
directory.Start Simpfeedby runningSimpfeed.exe. Click Help to open the manual.The
examplein the manualtakes you throughthe designof a four squarefeed systemand its
modelingwithEZNECor the EZNECdemoprogram.

providedthat no fee is chargedfor it. See the

Simpfeedcan be freelycopiedand distributed,
in the Introduction
disclaimers manual.
topicof the Simpfeed