Effectiveness of site diversity techniques for microwave reception in the wet tropics

Rainfall in the tropics is characterised by the presence of rain cells, localised areas of extreme rain density which cause severe attenuation to the microwave signals used for satellite to ground communication. The use of site diversity, two separated receiving stations permanently linked, should prove an effective and economic method of improving continuity of reception. The authors examine the performance of sky noise radiometers in such a configuration.