Rain Attenuation And Link Budget Design For Ku Band Downlink Signal In Ghana
Volume 4 - Issue 1, January 2020 Edition
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Author(s)
Akobre Stephen; Mohammed Ibrahim Daabo; Salifu Abdul-Mumin
Keywords
rain rate, rain attenuation, signal impairment, link budget.
Abstract
Good signal reception depends on a reliable communication link. But as the signal travels through the communication medium, several factors affect the quality of the signal at the receiver. In Ku band digital satellite transmission, rain is the major cause of signal impairment. The ITU-R rain rate and attenuation models are globally accepted models in determining the rain rate and attenuation at various locations worldwide, in the absence of locally measured 1-minute data recommended for rain attenuation studies. In this paper, we used the ITU-R rain rate and attenuation model to determine the rain rate and attenuation for 22 synoptic stations in Ghana. Knowledge of rain attenuation for a given location can be used to develop a link budget design. A link budget design was therefore developed for various climatic zones in Ghana for a Ku band downlink frequency using some assumptions. As Ghana migrates from analogue to digital satellite television broadcasting, it is important for some preliminary work to be undertaken to determine the attenuation levels the signals are likely to suffer. This will serve as a tool for system designers and manufacturers of satellite equipment for Ghana.
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