The optimal starting point for antenna array design

Many of today's wireless systems depend on the increased gain and pattern flexibility offered by phased arrays. While numerous "novel" one-off solutions as well as synthesis methods exist, these often gloss over initial design decisions and problem-specific conditions, limiting their usefulness across different scenarios. Furthermore, arrays are almost always limited to similar antenna elements, and even when dissimilar elements are collocated, many decisions seem to be made empirically or arbitrarily. A different approach is proposed to quantify these initial design steps without the limitation of similar elements. The goal is to start the optimization process with the right seed, enabling designers to have confidence in finding the best antenna configuration for the problem at hand