Path loss prediction for the macrocellular system in the heavily built-up areas of Hong Kong

Uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) based propagation models have been widely investigated for both the macrocellular and microcellular systems. In this paper, a three dimensional UTD based propagation model was examined for the macrocellular system in the heavily built-up areas of Hong Kong. The path loss model includes two submodels, namely the RT-model and the 3DL-model. The RT-model evaluates the signal field propagating over a series of buildings with irregular height and spacing. The 3DL-model considers the signal field propagating along the urban streets between the building walls and around the building corners. Measurement data along three test routes of 300 m travelling distance at the frequency of 938 MHz have been employed to validate the model. Results show that using the RT-model alone fails and the signal fields evaluated by the 3DL-model become the dominant components of the overall received signal field. However, the inclusion of the rooftop fields can reduce the r.m.s. prediction error by an average of 2 dB