Seasonal and Diurnal Variation on Tropospheric Scintillation at Ku-Band in Tropical Climate

Tropospheric scintillation is a rapid fluctuation of the received signal amplitude which can cause propagation impairments that affect satellite communication systems operating above 10 GHz. Scintillation data was collected in Equatorial Johor Bahru, Malaysia, based on a one-year Ku-band propagation measurement campaign, utilizing MEASAT-1 Satellite with an antenna elevation angle of 75.61°. This work concentrates on the probability density function (PDF) of diurnal variations of clear sky scintillation variance analyzed on an hourly basis. Besides, seasonal variation of scintillation amplitude has been presented in this paper. From the results, it is concluded that clear sky scintillation variance is likely to occur during morning and afternoon periods. Moreover, clear sky scintillation amplitude of the South-West monsoon shows a relatively higher comparing with others monsoon seasons. Hence, signal attenuation based on seasonal and diurnal information is of great interest for the system designers to appropriately design fade margin.Tropospheric scintillation is a rapid fluctuation of the received signal amplitude which can cause propagation impairments that affect satellite communication systems operating above 10 GHz. Scintillation data was collected in Equatorial Johor Bahru, Malaysia, based on a one-year Ku-band propagation measurement campaign, utilizing MEASAT-1 Satellite with an antenna elevation angle of 75.61°. This work concentrates on the probability density function (PDF) of diurnal variations of clear sky scintillation variance analyzed on an hourly basis. Besides, seasonal variation of scintillation amplitude has been presented in this paper. From the results, it is concluded that clear sky scintillation variance is likely to occur during morning and afternoon periods. Moreover, clear sky scintillation amplitude of the South-West monsoon shows a relatively higher comparing with others monsoon seasons. Hence, signal attenuation based on seasonal and diurnal information is of great interest for the system designers to appropriately design fade margin

Study of tropospheric scintillation effects in Ku-band frequency for satellite communication system

Scintillation is a rapid fluctuation of electromagnetic waves in terms of phase and amplitude due to a small-scale inconsistency in the transmission path (or paths) with time. Scintillation exists continuously throughout a day whether during raining or clear sky conditions. The raw signal data need to exclude other propagations factors that include signal fluctuations to further understand the scintillation studies. This paper presents the analysis of tropospheric scintillation data from January 2016 till December 2016 at Ku-band frequency of 12.202 GHz beacon signal. The experimental data from MEASAT 3B were collected and analyzed to see the effect of tropospheric scintillation. The elevation angle of the dish antenna is 77.45o. The highlighted objectives are to analyze the scintillation data at Ku-band, and to compare and validate the results with other scintillation models. The result shows that the stipulated scintillation analysis has higher amplitude, which is 0.73 dB compared to other scintillation analysis which has lower scintillation amplitude: 0.45 dB (Karasawa), 0.42 dB (ITU-R), 0.4 dB (Nadirah & Rafiqul), 0.42 dB (Van De Kamp), and 0.11 dB (Anthony & Mandeep)

Characterization of the Multipath Environment of Ionospheric Scintillation Receivers

Includes bibliographical referencesGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are used to provide information on position, time and velocity all over the world at any time of the day. Currently there are four operational GNSS and one of them is GPS (Global Positioning System) that is developed and maintained by U.S Department of Defence (DoD), which is widely used and accessible all over the world. The accuracy of the output or even the availability of the navigation system depends on current space weather conditions, which can cause random fluctuations of the phase and amplitude of the received signal, called scintillation. Interference of GNSS signals that are reflected and refracted from stationary objects on the ground, with signals that travel along a direct path via the ionosphere to the antenna, cause errors in the measured amplitude and phase. These errors are known as multipath errors and can lead to cycle slip and loss of lock on the satellite or degradation in the accuracy of position determination. High elevation cut off angles used for filtering GNSS signals, usually 15-30°, can reduce non-ionospheric interference due to multipath signals coming from the horizon. Since a fixed-elevation threshold does not take into consideration the surrounding physical environment of each GPS station, it can result in a significant loss of valuable data. Alternatively, if the fixed-elevation threshold is not high enough we run the risk of including multipath data in the analysis. In this project we characterized the multipath environment of the GPS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC (Total Electron Content) Monitor (GISTM) receivers installed by SANSA (South African National Space Agency) at Gough Island (40:34oS and 9:88° W), Marion Island (46:87° S and 37:86° E), Hermanus (34:42° S and19:22° E) and SANAE IV (71:73° S and 2:2° W) by plotting azimuth-elevation maps of scintillation indices averaged over one year. The azimuth-elevation maps were used to identify objects that regularly scatter signals and cause high scintillation resulting from multipath effects. After identifying the multipath area from the azimuth-elevation map, an azimuth-dependent elevation threshold was developed using the MATLAB curve fitting tool. Using this method we are able to reduce the multi-path errors without losing important data. Using the azimuth-dependent elevation threshold typically gives 5 to 28% more useful data than using a 20° fixed-elevation threshold

Tropospheric scintillation for Ku-band satellite communication link in Equatorial Malaysia

Tropospheric scintillation is a rapid fluctuation of the amplitude of received signal causes propagation impairments that affect satellite communication systems operating above 10 GHz. This work concentrates on those aspects in equatorial Johor Bahru, Malaysia, based on a two-year Ku-band propagation measurement campaign, utilizing the equipment of Direct Broadcast Receiver (DBR) and Automatic Weather Station (AWS). The study is divided into two parts. First, the investigation of clear sky scintillation through classification and analysis of a time-series satellite broadcasting signals, followed by comparison of the statistical results with existing scintillation prediction models. A new processing method is proposed to enhance the estimation of dry scintillation, specifically for the diurnal behavior of scintillation variance. Second, this study focuses to investigate the relationship between wet scintillation and rain attenuation using experimental measurement, and concentrate on the probability density function (PDF) of different scintillation parameters. From the results, it is concluded that wet scintillation intensity increases with rain attenuation. Thus, the relationship can be phrased by linear equations or power-law. The PDFs of wet scintillation intensity, adapted to a given rain attenuation level, are found lognormally distributed, leading to selection of method for determining the relation between conditional PDFs and rain attenuation. Finally, seasonal and diurnal variations of wet scintillation are also investigated. It is found that wet scintillation fade is likely to occur in the afternoon from 3 pm to 6 pm. Meanwhile, wet scintillation intensity of the inter-monsoon shows a relatively higher rate of change of attenuation. The results can provide system operators and radio communication engineers with critical information on the fluctuations of tropospheric scintillation variance of the satellite signal during a typical day, taking into the account of local meteorological peculiarities

A Prediction Model that Combines Rain Attenuation and Other Propagation Impairments Along Earth-Satellite Paths

The rapid growth of satellite services using higher frequency bands such as the Ka-band has highlighted a need for estimating the combined effect of different propagation impairments. Many projected Ka-band services will use very small terminals and, for some, rain effects may only form a relatively small part of the total propagation link margin. It is therefore necessary to identify and predict the overall impact of every significant attenuating effect along any given path. A procedure for predicting the combined effect of rain attenuation and several other propagation impairments along earth-satellite paths is presented. Where accurate models exist for some phenomena, these have been incorporated into the prediction procedure. New models were developed, however, for rain attenuation, cloud attenuation, and low-angle fading to provide more overall accuracy, particularly at very low elevation angles (\u3c10∞). In the absence of a detailed knowledge of the occurrence probabilities of different impairments, an empirical approach is taken in estimating their combined effects. An evaluation of the procedure is made using slant-path attenuation data that have been collected with simultaneous beacon and radiometer measurements which allow a near complete account of different impairments. Results indicate that the rain attenuation element of the model provides the best average accuracy globally between 10 and 30 GHz and that the combined procedure gives prediction accuracies comparable to uncertainties associated with the year-to-year variability of path attenuation

Global positioning system (GPS) positioning errors modeling using Global Ionospheric Scintillation Model (GISM)

As technology advancement progresses throughout the years in this modern age, every technology has its part to play in that the world is moving towards a brighter future. GPS (Global Positioning System) has diverse application in current globalized world, its application has pervasive benefits not only to navigation and positioning, it is pivotal in industries like logistics, shipping, financial services and agriculture. Since the decision to shut down the Selectivity Availability (SA) by former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, ionospheric effect is now the primary concern of error contributing factors in GPS. Ionospheric scintillation induces rapid fluctuations in the phase and the amplitude of received GNSS signals. These rapid fluctuations or scintillation potentially introduce cycle slips, degrade range measurements, and if severe enough lead to loss of lock in phase and code. Global Ionospheric Scintillation Model (GISM) was used to compute amplitude scintillation parameter for each GPS satellite visible from Melaka, Malaysia (Latitude 2° 14' N, Longitude 102° 16' E) as its location has strong equatorial scintillation behavior. The output data from GISM was then used to calculate the positioning error. There are two schemes that were used. First, the positioning error was calculated for all the visible satellites. Secondly, the positioning error was calculated for those satellite that have amplitude scintillation index, S4 <;0.7. Comparison of results from the both schemes was then made

Radio-wave propagation for space communications systems

The most recent information on the effects of Earth's atmosphere on space communications systems is reviewed. The design and reliable operation of satellite systems that provide the many applications in space which rely on the transmission of radio waves for communications and scientific purposes are dependent on the propagation characteristics of the transmission path. The presence of atmospheric gases, clouds, fog, precipitation, and turbulence causes uncontrolled variations in the signal characteristics. These variations can result in a reduction of the quality and reliability of the transmitted information. Models and other techniques are used in the prediction of atmospheric effects as influenced by frequency, geography, elevation angle, and type of transmission. Recent data on performance characteristics obtained from direct measurements on satellite links operating to above 30 GHz have been reviewed. Particular emphasis has been placed on the effects of precipitation on the Earth/space path, including rain attenuation, and ice particle depolarization. Other factors are sky noise, antenna gain degradation, scintillations, and bandwidth coherence. Each of the various propagation factors has an effect on design criteria for communications systems. These criteria include link reliability, power margins, noise contribution, modulation and polarization factors, channel cross talk, error rate, and bandwidth limitations