Quad-Ridge Waveguide Terminations

Description

M.E.C.’s Q80 Series quad-ridge waveguide terminations cover the full frequency band with low VSWR:

1. (L) Low Power: Has lowest VSWR for precise laboratory measurements.
2. (LS) Low Power with Sliding Load Element: Has movable plunger and locking mechanism for higher precision and calibration of standards.
3. (W) True Water or Liquid Load: Coolant absorbs RF for high power testing and calorimetric measurements.  These units operate with a typical fluid pressure of 10 PSIG and a flow rate of 0.5 gallons per minute for every 1 kW of average RF power.

Standard flanges are cover, MEC-C3 Series.  Other flanges are optional.  Finish is chromate conversion per MIL-C-5541, Class 3.  Paint is epoxy enamel (Gray for (L) & (LS) and Black for (W)).

A power sampler can be incorporated in any of the terminations for one or both linear modes.  Sampling levels range from 30 to 50 dB with typical flatness of ±1 dB.

Quad-Ridge Overview

Quad-ridge transmission lines combine the broad frequency band of double-ridge waveguide with the ability to transmit two independent, orthogonally polarized waveguide modes. These modes can be used alone or in any combination of amplitude and phase. This property is useful for many antenna applications. For example, it permits polarization diversity and more efficient use of the frequency spectrum by using left and right circular polarizations.