Benefits of Phased Array Antenna Configurations in Hexagonal Cells

In this research a series of studies are conducted, which focus on obtaining an optimal signal strength based on an evaluation of downlink and uplink performance. Furthermore, the goal of this research is to determine a phased array antenna configuration which performs best given a specific environment. To accomplish this, three phased array antenna configurations (1 by 16, 2 by 8, and 1 by 16) are proposed in an environment containing distributed interferers. The environment consists of a hexagonal cellular structure, which is a geometrical implementation currently utilized by cell phone towers in the telephony systems. Interferers are placed at given locations throughout the cell to represent other users which could disturb the reception from intended receivers. With the results obtained, several conclusions were drawn about the performance of each antenna. First, if the transfer of information is of uttermost importance, and no regard is given toward signal integrity, interference, or jamming, the 4 by 4 PAA configuration would be the best candidate. Second, if interference is rampant and a high priority is given toward signal integrity, the 1 by 16 or 2 by 8 PAA configuration would be the best performers. Lastly, the 1 by 16 shows the lowest average interference; however, in comparison to the 2 by 8, the 1 by 16 PAA has a larger variance in the spread of this interference