Ku‐band diurnal fade characteristics and fade event duration data from three,two‐year,Earth–space radiometric experiments in Equatorial Africa

The move to provide direct to home (DTH) multi‐media services from satellites requires a number of new insights to be gleaned from the propagation effects that occur along satellite‐to‐ground paths. Annual statistics will not be sufficient to describe the likely performance of the link, nor will they provide information on the likely customer acceptance of the DTH service. What are required are the likely number of outages due to rain attenuation in a given period, their duration, the time between the outages, and the diurnal characteristics of rain attenuation along the link. This paper presents results obtained in three, two‐year, Ku‐band experiments in tropical Africa on diurnal attenuation effects, as well as on rain and attenuation event duration and inter‐event duration. The implications of the results are discussed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modified rain attenuation model for tropical regions for Ku‐Band signals

Attenuation measurement on Ku‐ band satellite signal in a tropical site, Fiji is presented. Rain‐attenuation prediction by ITU‐R and the Crane Global models showed noticeable deviation to the measured values. Unlike the monotonic decrease predicted by these models, exceedance of rain‐rate and attenuation in Fiji and other tropical regions showed the presence of breakpoints. For Suva, the breakpoint in rain‐rate and attenuation were at 58 mm/h and 9.4 dB with exceedances of 0.009 and 0.018%, respectively. Modifications to the ITU‐R model are proposed in this paper, for adopting it in the tropics. These modifications are based on the properties that in the tropics (i) the accumulation time factor at the breakpoints is an invariant (ii) for elevation angles <60° and at high rain rates multiple rain cells intersect the slant path. The attenuation exceedance is predicted by two expressions similar to the ITU‐R model, one for rain‐rates lower than the breakpoint rain‐rate and the other above it. The modified prediction model show remarkable agreement with the measured Ku‐band attenuation in seven tropical sites. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

降水对Ku/Ka频段星地链路衰减特性的影响研究

近年来,Ku和Ka卫星在广播、通信和军事等领域应用数量越来越多,传统的Ku和Ka波段星地链路降水衰减预报模型基于经验关系和理想假设,考虑降水微物理特性不足,针对此问题,在实测降水粒子微物理特征的基础上定量分析了降水垂直分布、粒子形状、粒子取向、粒子相态等对Ku和Ka频段信号衰减的影响特性.结果表明,与考虑降水非均匀垂直分布的计算结果相比,ITU和SAM模型是基于降水分布均匀的假设,无法代表降水垂直分布不均匀时的衰减情况;降水粒子形状和取向对衰减的影响较小,在13GHz和32GHz频段,球形和非球形粒子衰减值的平均绝对偏差均在0.01dB以下,不同粒子取向时衰减系数的平均绝对偏差最大值为0.00098dB/km和0.0207dB/km;不同相态的降水引起的衰减差异较大,衰减值从大到小依次是湿雪、水和冰.研究结果可以为Ku和Ka波段星地链路传播特性评估及降雨反演新方法提供基本的理论支撑和数据参考.     

中国Ku波段广播通信卫星雨衰减分布

雨衰减对于１０ＧＨｚ以上无线电系统的影响是极为严重的。本文根据我国６５个站点的分钟降雨率数据，利用ＩＴＵ－Ｒ最新给出的雨衰减预报模式，计算出我国未来１２ＧＨｚ三个轨道     

长春和新乡雨衰时间序列的马尔科夫链模拟

基于马尔科夫理论建立的N阶马尔科夫链模型,模拟了长春和新乡地区的降雨衰减时间序列,比较了长春和新乡地区单个模拟和实测雨衰时间序列的概率分布;分别统计了长春和新乡地区50组模拟雨衰时间序列的百分概率分布,并与国际电信联盟无线电通信研究组(ITU-R)提供的卫星轨道位置为92°E、频率为12.5GHz在线极化情况下长春和新乡雨区不同降雨衰减值下的时间百分概率进行了比较,一致性很好,从而验证了N阶马尔可夫链模型在中国部分地区的可用性。模拟结果对我国在Ku及以上频段通信卫星的抗衰落技术的发展具有重要的应用价值。     

Experimental assessment of slant‐path rain attenuation variability in the Ka‐band

This study is based on the results of a slant‐path Ka‐band propagation experiment carried out in Madrid, Spain, regarding rain attenuation, which is the main propagation impairment in this frequency band. The experimental and statistical results correspond to seven complete years of measurements, a period large enough to accomplish a comprehensive analysis in order to characterize the variability of rain rate and attenuation. It is shown that year‐to‐year variability is significant in temperate climates as Madrid's. The aforementioned significance is also apparent with regards to seasonal, monthly, worst‐month and hourly variability concerning rain attenuation, which are also discussed and related when possible to the variability of the rain phenomena, either represented by the total amounts of rainfall in the different periods or by rain rate statistics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of rain on TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data

The presence of rain in the sub-satellite track can significantly degrade altimeter measurements by causing an attenuation of the backscattered signal, a change in its path length through the atmosphere and a change in the mean square slope of the sea surface. This can cause errors, not only in the measurement of the satellite altitude, but also in the determination of wind speed and wave height. TOPEX/Poseidon dual-frequency altimeter data (cycles 3 and 8) were searched for instances where the data were possibly degraded by the presence of rain over the North and inter-Tropical Atlantic. A subjective analysis of the data, similar to the one used in previous studies was conducted on the backscatter coefficient, wind speed, significant wave height, sea surface height, TOPEX Microwave Radiometer (TMR) brightness temperatures, liquid water content and data quality flags to identify the orbits possibly affected by rain. From the 105 probable rain events identified, the effects of rain on the TOPEX measurements and data quality parameters were characterized. The strong differential effect of rain on the Ku and C band measurements was then used to define a new rain flag based on a departure from the normal relationship between the C and Ku band backscatter. This new rain flag was shown to detect all the identified rain events, as well as new ones. The TMR rain flag, used operationally, was shown to flag too many altimeter samples and too few rain events, mainly because of its large resolution (few tens of kilometers compared to few kilometers for the altimeter). An estimation of the rainfall rate from the attenuation of the Ku band backscatter was proposed     

Time series predictor of Ku band rain attenuation over an Earth–space path at a tropical location

A channel model is proposed to predict the time series of Ku band rain attenuation during a rain event at a tropical location. The model is based on considering the Gaussian distribution of the conditional occurrence of rain attenuation with a particular value of the attenuation occurring before. The mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ) for the distribution are modeled with the experimental data. The measured attenuation at a particular time instant is used to obtain μ and σ and to predict the attenuation after certain interval. The channel model has tested well giving the predicted attenuation that agrees with the measured value with a mean error within 15% higher than 1 dB. Validity of the model is also tested with the first‐order and second‐order statistics of attenuation occurrence, on a long‐term basis. The method can also be applied even if attenuation measurements are missing for certain period of time with increased error. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prediction model of time diversity using Japan rain radar data

The effects of rain attenuation on communication systems will become more pronounced in future satellite communication systems, especially with the planned use of the 21‐GHz band or higher‐frequency bands. Diversity techniques provide a solution to mitigate rain attenuation effects. This study proposes a time diversity technique, one such technique that is likely to demonstrate high effectiveness. To model the system, rainfall rate statistics are necessary, and reliability is improved as the amount of statistical data increases. This paper derives the cumulative distribution of the rainfall rate across Japan over 4 years using rain radar data from the automated meteorological data acquisition system and ground‐based rain radar network and evaluates the rainfall rate at 23 observation points across Japan. We carry out a performance evaluation for all locations within Japan to confirm the efficiency of the time diversity method. Finally, we propose prediction model of the time diversity gain for Japan and other significant parameter which is time correlation of rainfall rate that was found from the time diversity results for further investigation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unavailability due to rain of VSAT networks operating in Ka and Ku bands in Brazil

The unavailability due to rain of VSAT star networks operating on Ku and Ka bands in Brazil is analysed in this paper. A large number of simulations performed over the Earth–space links resulting from combinations of four (real and hypothetical) satellites with six Brazilian Earth stations provide a good characterization of the rain unavailability in tropical and equatorial regions subject to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. The simulations also compare the influence on the estimated unavailability of the use of two different ITU‐R rain attenuation models and two values (calculated and measured) for the rainfall rate exceeded during 10^?2% of the time, the climatic parameter in the models, in addition to the link polarization employed. The results obtained point to VSAT star networks as a practical solution to provide telecommunications services to remote communities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microwave Signal Attenuation Over Terrestrial Link at 26?GHz in Malaysia

The effect of rain on the microwave systems is more critical especially for countries located in tropical and equatorial region that experience high rainfall rate throughout the year. In order to predict a reliable and an accurate rain prediction model, it is required to determine the one-minute integration time of rainfall rate together with direct measurement of rain attenuation. In order to counter the current trend of employing higher frequencies especially in tropical and equatorial regions, there is an urgent need to carry out studies related to the effect of rain in order to get a better rain attenuation prediction model. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of rain on terrestrial microwave system operating at 26?GHz in Malaysia. The rain intensity with one minute integration time is measured at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia-Skudai (UTM-Skudai) and 99 rain gauges located throughout the Peninsular Malaysia. This study explains the detailed experimental set up and analyses of both rain rate and rain attenuation measurements. The analysis on large-scale study area includes the comparisons between the measured rainfall data and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) rainfall data and also with the Malaysia Meteorological Services (MMS) rainfall data. This study has successfully proposed a new rain rate and rain attenuation prediction model and the obtained results show satisfactory performance and good agreement.     

Dynamical properties of rainfall for performance assessment of earth/space communication links at Ku and Ka bands

Knowledge about the dynamic characteristics of rainfall rate and rainfading is of vital importance both for studies on the physical interpretation and modelling of the phenomena and for ancillary studies to counteract rain-induced effects by incorporating some changes in communication system parameters. This paper presents the dynamical characteristics of rainfall observed over Guwahati, India. Using a statistical procedure, an empirical model which predicts characteristic features of rainfading at the Ku and Ka bands is described. The fade inter-event gap statistics as a function of attenuation are discussed for widespread rain and thunderstorms separately. The observed and predicted results are compared with observations made by other investigators. As future communication systems using the Ku and Ka bands are being planned in India and other parts of Southeast Asia (e.g. Measat-I, Thaicom3, AsiaSat3), the results of this study may be used to predict rainfading properties. This study is the first of its kind over India. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

降雨对于CAPS微小卫星终端通信的影响

中国区域卫星定位系统（CAPS）是卫星导航通信一体化的系统。当利用CAPS微小卫星终端系统进行卫星通信时,所用的天线口径极小,增益低,终端的有效全向辐射功率EIRP。较小,整个通信链路的余量较小。虽然C波段的降雨衰减远没有Ku波段大,但是相对于微小卫星终端的整个卫星通信链路来说,降雨带来的信号衰减、地球站接收天线G／T值的变化以及对卫星通信上、下行链路载噪比的影响也是不可忽视的。文章对这些影响进行了分析,并利用ITU—R给出的降雨衰减预报模式,给出了C波段的降雨衰减的计算方法及结果,并且分析了降雨对CAPS微小卫星通信系统的整个链路余量的影响。     

Ku频段卫星雨衰计算及自动观测系统设计

随着Ku频段卫星通信系统的使用,雨衰对卫星传输链路的影响已经成为卫星通信系统设计与使用过程中的重要影响因素。针对雨衰对Ku频段卫星通信系统可用性的影响,首先对雨衰的产生原因及其对卫星传输链路的影响进行了简要介绍,其次对国际电信联盟推荐的雨衰估算方法进行了分析,最后提出了Ku频段卫星链路传输特性自动观测系统的设计方案。     

Improved range-profiling algorithm of rainfall rate from aspaceborne radar with path-integrated attenuation constraint

A range-profiling algorithm for rainfall rate retrieval from a single-frequency downward-looking spaceborne radar is presented. The algorithm is based on a linear reformulation of the radar equation. The path-integrated attenuation given by the surface echo measurement is used as a constraint for normalizing the range-gated rain echoes. The expected performances are studied analytically and compared with those of the approach of W. Hitschfeld and J. Bordan (1954). The stability and accuracy of the rainfall profile retrieval in the presence of various types of errors are pointed out and illustrated by means of numerical simulations of data processing from a spaceborne rain radar operating basically at Ku band     

降雨粒子电磁特性分析及雨区目标成像

从理论仿真的角度,描述了传输矩阵方法的基本原理,并以Ku、Ka波段为例,对降雨粒子模型的双波段散射衰减特性进行了仿真比较。从宏观角度对不同雨强、不同频率下的雨衰进行了定量分析。提出了一种针对雨区三维复杂目标进行成像仿真的技术,仿真结果表明:在Ku波段下,当雨强超过10mm/h(中雨)时,雨衰对SAR图像的影响就必须被考虑;当雨强达到50mm/h(大雨)时,SAR图像将出现十分严重的图像质量恶化。在Ka波段下,即便小雨的影响都可在SAR图像中显现;而中等以上降雨将导致SAR图像几乎或完全湮没。     

Rainfall Dynamics Over Two Indian Tropical Stations for Radio Communication

The influence of rainfall on radio wave propagation at frequencies above 10 GHz is crucial over ground to space radio links, especially in tropical regions because of the high intensity rainfall. This often makes direct-to-home; very small aperture terminal systems operating at these frequencies to be subjected to many fade occurrences due to heavy rain. In addition to annual and worst month’s cumulative statistics, dynamic characteristics of seasonal and diurnal variations, together with average event length and separation over the day are needed to give the detailed insights for system design. This paper presents the characteristics of rain distribution based on 5-year rainfall data over two locations in India. Rain intensities for the average year and the average worst months, and monthly and diurnal dynamic characteristics of rain events were obtained. The resulting rain intensities are also compared with the relevant ITU-R recommendations. These results are useful to estimate signal outages in a year over the region and for proper planning of radio-communication in the location.     

Time diversity evaluation for attenuation mitigation method using attenuation data in Thailand and Japan

In order to support future satellite broadcasting and communication in the Ka band and above, the time diversity method provides a novel attenuation mitigation technique for maintaining satellite service availability at levels between 99.9 and 99.99%. In this paper, the time diversity method is analyzed using various time delays from between 1 min and 1 h in an effort to mitigate convective rain attenuation by using various beacon signal transmission delays. For comparison purposes, receiver beacon data from Japan and Thailand are presented to highlight tropical and non‐tropical zone regional differences, and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) R P.618‐12 standard is used for scaling up the Thaicom beacon frequencies from 12.57 and 12.59 GHz in the Ku band to 19.45 GHz, which is the Ka band frequency used by Japan's communication satellite (CS) beacon. We found that the time diversity method is very useful for mitigating the effects of rain attenuation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Atmospheric Parameters on Satellite Link

The rainfall path attenuation measured at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for 4 years (January 02 to January 06) is presented. The data obtained are useful to investigate the impairment due to rainfall attenuation in satellite links operating in tropical and equatorial climates. It shows that the logarithmic function with ground rain rate deviates at very high rain rate. A rainfall rate of 130 mm/h causes the rainfall attenuation threshold (> 20 dB) to be exceeded. Maximum exceedences for rain rate and attenuation were observed during the wet months. The cumulative distributions of attenuation derived from the measured data are presented and compared with those obtained with existing prediction methods.     

Comparison of measured rain attenuation in the 10.982‐GHz band with predictions and sensitivity analysis

The campaign to collect rain attenuation data on terrestrial links had commenced in Malaysian tropical climates for almost two decades. The terrestrial data so far collected have been greatly utilized to derive useful statistics for various microwave applications, such as frequency scaling, rain rate conversion factor, 1‐min rain rate contour maps, wet antenna losses, and fade slope duration analysis. However, there is still severe scarcity of rain attenuation data on earth–space links in Malaysia. The results of the 2‐year measurement (January 2009–December 2010) of rain rates and rain‐induced attenuation in vertically polarized signals propagating at 10.982 GHz have been presented in this paper. The rain attenuation over the link path was measured at Islamic International University Malaysia and compared with ITU‐R P.618‐10 and Crane global models in this paper. The test results show that the two prediction models seem inadequate for predicting rain attenuation in the Ku‐band in Malaysia. Sensitivity analysis performed on measured data also reveals that the sensitivity variables depend on rain rate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.