Experimental measurements of maritime radio transmission channels

Abstract

International audienceThis paper focuses on experimental measurements, carried out by Télécom Bretagne, concerning both maritime radio transmission channels and new radio technologies (mainly WiMAX, 802.16e). The aim of these studies is to reinforce the quality and the robustness of such transmissions. Several measurements were set up, with specific experimental devices developed and implemented by Télécom Bretagne, to characterize of the propagation channel in maritime environment and to study the communication performances of WiMAX. The experimentations were carried out at frequencies around 3.5 GHz (Licensed WiMAX Band in France) and 5.8 GHz (Free Band in France). A previous paper published by the same authors showed that there is a good agreement between the theoretical values of field attenuation computed with the well known two-ray model and the measurements. New measurements presented in this present paper confirm the possible presence of deep fading and bring to light the benefit to exploit the channel diversity thanks to the use of two receiving antennas separated in height. Furthermore, a comparison between the propagation characteristics and the performances of a WiMAX transmission are analyzed in order to have a better comprehension of the functionality of the system. Some results concerning maritime HF and UHF transmission channels are also proposed in this paper