Characterization of rain specific attenuation and frequency scaling technique for satellite communication systems in a tropical location

Increased demand for satellite system applications and congestion of the lower frequency bands has mandated the foray into higher frequency spectrum which is more susceptible to rain-induced attenuation. This research explores the characterization of rain specific attenuation and frequency scaling technique for satellite communication system in Akure (7.17°N, 5.18°E, 358 m), Nigeria. Two-year archived rain-attenuation data on Ku-Band satellite link over the earth-space path of Akure was used for the study. Concurrent measurement of rainfall parameters and Eutelsat W4/W7 satellite radio beacons was carried out at the Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology Akure, between January 2017 and December 2018 using Tektronix Y400 NetTek spectrum analyzer. Estimated and measured rain attenuation statistics were compared, and exact determination of the power law coefficients which support the computation of explicit attenuation from measured rain rate was carried out. Recommended frequency scaling technique was also employed to investigate the magnitude of rain-induced attenuation at higher frequency bands. Results show that, at 0.01 percentage exceedance window, combined estimated and measured rain attenuation have respective magnitudes of about 13.09 dB and 21.43 dB. Also, estimated and scaled attenuation at 16 GHz, 20 GHz, 30 GHz and 40 GHz are about 21.97 dB, 31.78 dB, 56.64 dB, 77.23 dB and 28.36 dB, 33.95 dB, 42.17 dB, 46.07 dB respectively.