Propagation in the Ka Band: Experimental Characterization for Satellite Applications

The use of the Ka band (30/20 GHz) in satellite-communication systems is expected to grow in the next few years, with the launches and planned launches of more than 10 satellites in 2010 and 2011 that include some Ka-band capacity. New technical standards, such as DVB-S2 and OVB-RCS, can be used in this band. A better knowledge of the channel characteristics is required, as well as experimental time series of attenuation. A propagation experiment is being carried out in Madrid, Spain, with the objective of characterizing the propagation channel in the downlink subband. Propagation results are related to meteorological data obtained from co-located instruments. Results obtained after two years of the experiment are presented in this paper. Rain attenuation is the main propagation impairment in this band. That is why rain-propagation effects are analyzed in more detail, although other propagation effects are also considered, as well as their relative importance.