Rain attenuation estimated from radar measurements for mobile satellite systems and based mobile unit terminals

Abstract

Future satellite mobile communication systems designed for mobile user applications will use extremely high frequency carriers to provide more capacity and smaller equipment. At these frequencies, the extra attenuation due to rain is a primary cause of communications impairment on satellite-earth paths, especially above 10 GHz. Rain seriously influences the performance of a communications satellite link. A good knowledge of the statistical behavior of rain attenuation in a particular region is vital. The ability of radar to scan a wide area around the radar site and not just a particular path made it a very attractive for many types of investigations. Radar can be used to measure the rainfall rate indirectly. For this study, the 1 km range bin is more useful and thus, the volumetric scan. Measuring of specific attenuation is done using the 1 km range bin for the volumetric scan. An important information in this method that we have to work up and to define in which azimuth angle, elevation angle and the n- range of the attenuation is occurred from the radar station. To get the total rain attenuation path, we have to sum up all the specific attenuation under the rain height. This project focus more on the method of measuring attenuation per unit distance that had been observed using Kluang meteorological radar. This method is also an important parameter for microwave link because it enables the attenuation due to rain to be determined. The information of this method is useful for microwave link applications, designing mobile communication systems and also set up specification of the new meteorological radar.