Simulation of the effects of atmospheric scintillation on digital transmissions at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths

This paper describes the simulation of the effects of scintillation on digital transmissions. The scintillation is modelled by atmospheric turbulent cells whose parameters are determined by comparison with measured scintillation events. The effects of the cells crossing the communication link on the amplitude of the received signal are calculated as well as the transfer function. A complete communication link is simulated and the BER is calculated for different frequencies. The model can be used up to 100 GHz but this paper is focused on frequencies presently used in satellite communications.