Rainfall rate and rain attenuation contour maps for preliminary “Simon Bolivar” satellite links planning in Venezuela

• Main Authors: Angel Dario Pinto Mangones, Nelson Alexander Pérez García, Juan Manuel Torres Tovio, Eduardo José Ramírez, Samir Oswaldo Castaño Rivera, Jaime Velez Zapata, John Dwiht Ferreira Rodríguez, Leidy Marian Rujano Molina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2019-04-01
• Series: Dyna
• Subjects: Contour maps; rain rate prediction; integration-time conversion; rain attenuation estimation; satellite links
• Online Access: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/dyna/article/view/73774

Predicting precipitation rate and rainfall attenuation are key aspects in planning and dimensioning of wireless communications systems operating at frequencies above 10 GHz, such as satellite communication systems at Ku and Ka bands. In this paper, contour maps of rainfall rate and rain attenuation are developed for the first time in Venezuela, based on 1-min rain rate statistics obtained from measurements carried out in Venezuela over at least 30 years period with a higher integration time and using Rice-Holmberg model, refined Moupfouma-Martin model and Recommendation ITU-R P.837-7, for rain rate estimation and Recommendation ITU-R P.618-13, Ramachandran-Kumar model, Yeo-Lee-Ong model and Rakshit-Adhikari-Maitra model, for rain attenuation prediction in “Simon Bolivar” satellite links in Venezuela. The overall results of both types of maps represent a useful tool for preliminary planning of those links in the country, specifically, in Ku and Ka bands