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The monopulse comparator network (also known as an "arithmetic network") is what processes the four quadrants of a monopulse antenna into the SUM, Delta AZ, Delta EL, and Delta Q signals. Sure, you can do this subtraction in the digital domain, but it is not as cool and it costs you some DC power to process it. What would you rather listen to, an classic analog recording of Roy Orbison's four-octave voice singing "Only the Lonely", or some auto-tuned digital crap? As Madonna famously once said before she re-wrote her hit song, "we are living in an analog world, and I am an analog girl."
A monopulse antenna has four feeds, which can be horns or other radiators. We'll use the convention of the Cartesian coordinate system, where the quadrants are labeled starting in the upper right, then go counter-clockwise, in this case, we labeled the quadrants A, B, C and D.


Monopulse comparators can be made with either 180 degree or 90 degree hybrid couplers. We'll show you both ways!
Monopulse comparators using rat-race hybrid couplers
This material was moved to a new page for October 2024.
Monopulse comparator using 90 degree hybrid couplers
This material was moved to a new page for October 2024.