Some aspects of rain effects on the performance of Ku-band satellite signals in Akure, Nigeria

Signal fluctuation and other rain induced propagation impairments are a common phenomenon on satellite communication links operating in the Ku frequency band. In a tropical location such as Akure, Southwestern Nigeria, (7.3°N; 5.3°E), these impairments must be carefully investigated for the accurate determination of link budget. In this paper, we present the statistical analysis of sample data from Ku band, EUTELSAT (W4/W7) satellite beacon footprint at a frequency of 12.245GHz and elevation angle of 036°E over the location to determine the significance of rainfall intensity in the prediction of rain induced attenuation. Comparison of the predicted rain-induced attenuation computed using the measured data was carried out with some selected rain attenuation models such as the ITU-R, Garcia and Moupfouma, so as to determine which attenuation prediction model is most suitable for Ku-band satellite communication in the location. The results obtained show that the ITU-R rain attenuation prediction model under-estimates rain-attenuation in the location.