Reconfigurable RF Transmitters for C-Band and X-Band: Design, Development and Testing

This thesis covers the design, development and testing of two high-power radio frequency transmitters that operate in C-band and X-band (System-C/X). The operational bands of System-C/X are 3-6 GHz and 8-11 GHz, respectively. Each system is designed to produce a peak effective isotropic radiated power of at least 50 dBW. The transmitters use parabolic dish antennas with dual-linear polarization feeds that can be steered over a wide range of azimuths and elevations with a precision of a fraction of a degree. System-C/X's transmit waveforms are generated using software-defined radios. The software-defined radio software is lightweight and reconfigurable. New waveforms can be loaded into the system during operation and saved to an onboard database. The waveform agility of the two systems lends them to potential uses in a wide range of broadcasting applications, including radar and communications. The effective isotropic radiated power and beam patterns for System-C/X were measured during two field test events in July 2021 and January 2022. The performance of both systems was found to be within acceptable limits of their design specifications.