Results of simultaneous low elevation Ku-band propagation effects at two sites in southern England

This paper reports on satellite beacon measurements at 12.7 GHz from late October 2010 until the end of June 2012 at two geographically separated Arqiva Teleport sites in Southern England in order to obtain propagation data to be used in operational decision making and improvement of the scientific understanding of such effects. These sites operate at very low elevation angles 4.1 and 5.3 degrees and therefore experience significant propagation effects. Measurements are on-going to achieve meaningful long term statistics, however there is value in comparing the results obtained at both sites over the common period of measurement data to date approximately 20 months. The measurements are performed at 1/2 second intervals and statistical analysis applied. A primary objective of this work is to assess the influence of tropospheric scintillation and consequently the paper will focus on this with the addition of some lesser material on rain fade effects. The measurements and analysis have been performed as a collaborative effort between Arqiva and staff who work at the University of Surrey. It is emphasised that the primary objective of this work is to assess the influence of tropospheric scintillation and rain attenuation from an operational perspective and to a lesser extent from an academic viewpoint.