Directional couplers are devices that will pass signal across one path while passing a much smaller
signal along another path.
One of the most common uses of the directional coupler is to sample a RF power signal either for
controlling transmitter output power level or for measurement.
An example of the latter use is to connect a digital frequency counter to the low-level port and the
transmitter and antenna to the straight-through (high-power) ports.
The circuit symbol for a directional coupler is shown in Fig. below. Note that there are three outputs and
one input.
The IN OUT path is low-loss and is the principal path between the signal source and the load. The
coupled output is a sample of the forward path while the isolated showed very low signal. If the IN and
OUT are reversed then the roles of the coupled and isolated ports also reversed.