  We study light propagation through cyclic arrays, composed by copies of a
given $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric dimer, using a group theoretical approach and
finite element modeling. The theoretical mode-coupling analysis suggest the use
of these devices as output port replicators where the dynamics are controlled
by the impinging light field. This is confirmed to good agreement with finite
element propagation in an experimentally feasible necklace of passive
$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric dimers constructed from lossy and lossless waveguides.
