Propagation measurements and multipath channel modelling for line-of-sight links at 19.5 GHZ

Abstract

The nced I()r greatcr bandwidth and higher data ratcs will incvitably lead to the usage of the uppcr portion of the k-band in terrestrial communication systems. Thc frcqucncy band Ii'om 18 Gllz 10 20 Gllz has bccn identificd as a suitable candidatc lor short-haul linc-of sight links. As a eonsequcnce, a 6.73 km terrcstrial LOS link ecntcrcd at 19.5 GHz has recently been established bctween the Iloward Collcge and Wcstvillc campuscs of thc University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), with the primary objectivc to investigate the cffect of rain attenuation over the link. Multipath propagation and the resultant frequency selective 1~lding is another major problcm afflicting such LOS links. In ordcr to evaluate the effect of multipath propagation over the link statistical models of tbe channel transfer functions arc required. In this paper the research into the simulation and statistical modeling of the mullipatb propagation for the above-Illentioncd LOS link will be discussed.