of this basic technology to a rectenna that is environmentally sound and that can be made at low cost in large volume production was recognized as an area of special study. The SSPS rectenna design problem is a complex one in that many different requirements must be met simultaneously. The active rectenna elements must be adequately shielded from the environment, it must be possible to interconnect the elements in such a manner as to produce an output DC voltage of 1000 volts with adequate electrical insulation, and the complete rectenna structure must be structurally sound and capable of withstanding sizeable wind and ice loads. It has been recognized for some time that the approach to meeting these requirements should be based on the two-plane rectenna element construction. In this arrangement one plane is merely a reflecting plane which can be made from a coarse mesh with a surface which is highly resistive to deterioration under long life and harsh environmental conditions. The other plane then contains the elements of collecting the microwave power, converting it into DC power, and bussing it to some central point of DC power collection. Two major accomplishments in achieving a practical two-plane construction were realized. The first of these was the adaptation of the RXCV rectenna element to the two plane construction and the electrical testing of the new configuration. The second was the development of a metallic shroud that is placed around the rectenna elements in the new configuration which functions as both an environmental shield and as a main structural element of the rectenna. The whole assembly consisting of the rectenna elements in the new format and the metallic shroud surrounding it was thoroughly tested as a portion of the 199-element rectenna that has served as the laboratory test vehicle for many projects. The conclusions are that there is no substantial difference in the efficiency or other electrical behavior of the new two-plane format from that obtained from the normal elements in the array which they replaced. A high confidence level in the two plane construction has been provided. However, the new two-plane design cannot be regarded as a completed development. The metallic shroud had holes cut into it for the protrusion of the half wave dipoles. The addition of some kind of grommet will be necessary to make a weather-proof seal between the leg of the dipole and the metallic shroud. The rectenna elements also need to be redesigned to eliminate the teflon machine screws and other features that are not indicative of a final production design.
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