Scatter function characterization of microwave radio signals by vegetation media for application in radio network planning

This paper reports on measurements conducted in a controlled environment at 20GHz to characterize the scatter function of ficus and conifer plants. To establish the scatter function of these plants, the forward scattered signal level emerging from the vegetation media in multiple formation and its dependence on the azimuth direction of the receiving antenna is investigated. Based on this investigation, a comparison is made on the behavior of the scatter function of ficus and conifer plants. A theoretical model based on the radiative energy transfer (RET) is used to interpret some of the complex phenomenon ohserved in the scatter function results.