COMSTAR experiment: COMSTAR beacon receiver diversity experiment

The design and realization of 19-GHz and 29-GHz beacon receivers for implementation of the remote site diversity reception experiment are discussed. The experiment objectives and constraints are investigated in terms of their impact on equipment realization. Data acquisition and retrieval problems associated with remote sites are also addressed. Finally, some of the results obtained from early operation are presented. These results, obtained from direct measurement of the beacons, correlate very well with earlier radiometer measurements scaled in frequency with appropriate corrections made for the impact of energy scattering due to rain.