Ka-band propagation measurements and statistics for land mobile satellite applications

Ka-band (20/30 GHz) will be used extensively for fixed and mobile satellite communications in the next few years, especially for wide-band and multimedia applications. For this reason, a good knowledge of the propagation impairments and adequate propagation models for that frequency range are needed. In this paper, cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) of the received signal variations due to shadowing/blockage events at Ka-band using the 18.7-GHz beacon of the Italsat satellite for a number of representative environment types are presented. Approximate availability levels for three shadowing/blockage margins (5, 10, and 15 dB) are provided for three orientations of the road with respect to the satellite and for different environments: urban, suburban, and tree-shadowed. All measurements correspond to an elevation angle between 28° and 36°