Depolarization Measurements on the ATS-6 20-GHz Downlink: A Description of the VPI & SU Experiment and Some Initial Results (Short Papers)

This paper discusses the depolarizing effects of precipitation at millimeter wavelengths and describes an experiment in which depolarization on the ATS-6 satellite 20-GKz downlink is measured. Data are presented for unexplained clear weather variations in the observed polarization and for depolarization by rain and snow. A preliminary analysis indicates that for a given attenuation level, a satellite path exhibits more severe depolarization than experiments with ground systems would predict.