Development of an L-band antenna device for a direction finder with a sum-difference discriminator

Detection and direction finding of various radio emission sources is an urgent task for a number of civil departments and military agencies. In modern conditions, it is necessary to use the most compact and portable direction finders that provide high tactical and technical characteristics: direction finding speed and accuracy, stability of operation with a minimum spread of parameters. A successful solution to this problem largely depends on the implementation of an antenna device with specified requirements and small size and weight characteristics. The purpose of this work is to develop an L-band antenna device with a sum-difference discriminator that provides small size and weight characteristics of the direction finder. An L-band antenna device with a sum-difference discriminator has been developed that provides small size and weight characteristics of the direction finder. A methodology is presented for calculating and developing an antenna device that includes a path of the sum and difference channels of an angular discriminator based on microstrip lines. The developed antenna device allows to reduce the number of analog paths of the direction finder with a sum-difference angular discriminator from three to two and thereby reduce the spread of parameters. The implementation of the antenna device based on a phased antenna array with sum and difference channels of the angular discriminator on microstrip lines is shown, which ensures small weight and size characteristics of the direction finder.