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Load-pull limitations in PA design?

Hi All,

I will be tasked with finding the proper Zin and Zout for a 1W RF power transistor's maximum Pout, gain, and PAE on a Maury load-pull station, but something has just occurred to me: won't any results coming from such a PA load-pull tuning method be relatively inaccurate? The reason why I say this is that the final (non-linear) PA circuit, when eventually placed in the RF transmitter itself, will be seeing a bandpass filter and/or an antenna, both of which mean that the PA will no longer be seeing the very wideband 50 ohm termination it saw in the load-pull tuning station. This means that the non- linear's PA harmonics will be strongly reflecting back off of the filter's and/or antenna's stopbands and back into the PA's output, affecting its PAE, stability, gain, etc. Aren't I correct about this? And if so, how do I address this problem??

Thanks for any help!

-Bill

Reply to
billcalley
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In ANY design, the nicely manicured specs, achieved on bench should be derated about 50% once you produce more than one unit on production line. Happens in all designs. And it is NOT a problem, this IS reality.

HTH

Stanislaw

Reply to
Stanislaw Flatto

personally i am much opposed to using non-linear amplifiers without truly compelling requirements to the otherwise. efficiency is more dependant on circuit topology to the point that is is unreasonable to be non-linear.

--
 JosephKK
 Gegen dummheit kampfen die Gotter Selbst, vergebens.  
  --Schiller
Reply to
joseph2k

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