Abstract#R##N##R##N#We have extended the two-layer rain model to predict the gain of any orbital diversity system, defined as the difference between the attenuation (dB) in a single link and the attenuation (dB) in the diversity link, both exceeded with the same long-term probability. Besides the obvious geographical data of the site, the geometry of the system and the frequency and polarization of the electromagnetic waves, the only physical input is a meteorological quantity, i.e. the probability distribution of rain rate. We have tested the model against experimental data in the 12 GHz and 20 GHz bands, collected at two sites in Italy. The agreement between measured and predicted gain is satisfactory up to attenuation values for which a significant sample size is ensured. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
['Emilio Matricciani']
PREDICTION OF ORBITAL DIVERSITY PERFORMANCE IN SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AFFECTED BY RAIN ATTENUATION