A beamformer for a prototype vivaldi mid frequency aperture array

摘要

A beamformer system for a linear two-element interferometer aligned east-west is implemented. Two phase shifters based on a delay line technique, using coaxial cables and a diode network for selection and deselection of phases, are implemented at a centre frequency of 10.7 MHz. Each phase shifter consists of 6 bits, that are controlled digitally using an Arduino board, to produce 64 discrete phase shifts to the nearest 5°. A beamforming of 26° eastwards was performed and the shift in the “fringe pattern” of the interferometer was found to coincide with the beamforming performed.