Estimation of rain attenuation at millimetre waves from experimental drop size distributions

Detailed measurements of the rain phenomena can be obtained with the use of modern equipment, that provides experimental drop size distributions (DSD) at the surface level and DSD profiles in height. In this paper, the use of experimental DSDs to predict the effects of rain on radiowave propagation at millimetre-wave frequencies is discussed. The results presented are based on the concurrent measurements of the rain DSDs and attenuation in radio links. Experimental and predicted attenuation time series are compared. Some practical considerations are presented in order to improve the accuracy of the predictions.