Irregular Terrain Attenuation in the Medium Frequency Band: Planning for Digital Radio Systems

Some basic rules and values to include the attenuation effect of terrain obstacles in the medium wave (MW) band are presented. The analysis applies to ground wave propagated signals and focuses on the new digital broadcasting systems (HD-RADIO/IBOC and DRM) that require accurate predictions for appropriate network planning. This study is based on field strength data from a measurement campaign and the results represent a complementary approach to numerical solutions for planning purposes. A simple but efficient classification of the terrain prominences is presented and attenuation curves are calculated.