Electrically steerable phased array antenna system

A method of producing antenna element drive signals for an electrically steerable phased array antenna system including an array of antenna elements and a corporate feed network, the method including splitting two input signals and vectorially combining proportions of such signals to provide antenna element signals and a beam with electrical tilt adjustable in response to varying the two input signals' phase difference, and the corporate feed network having an inner region of the network located between two outer regions of the network, the method having the steps of:

• a) feeding two input signals with variable relative phase to the inner region;
• b) feeding respective input signals from the inner region to a respective splitting and combining network located in each of the outer regions by means of respective input signal connections disposed largely peripherally of the corporate feed network, each splitting and combining network being arranged in combination with the input signal connections such that track cross-overs in the corporate feed network are avoided;
• and
• c) generating vector combinations of proportions of one respective input signal plus and minus fractions of the other input signal in each splitting and combining network and thereby providing signals for output via a respective set of antenna elements connections, each set being either mostly or wholly located peripherally around a respective one of the splitting and combining networks.