A three-site comparison of fade-duration measurements

Important elements in the design of Ka-band communication systems are the duration of fade and nonfade events at a particular fade depth. The choice of modulation and forward error correcting codes will depend on both the fading time dynamics and annual fade occurrence statistics. This paper examines the fade duration measured at locations in three of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) propagation experimental regions, namely, Florida (rain zone N of the radiocommunications sector of the International Telecommunications Union ~ITU-R\ model), New Mexico State University (ITU-R rain zone M), and Alaska (ITU-R rain zone C). Within each region, measures of the underlying uniformity are described and an interregional comparison examines the ability to scale the local results.