Acts ka-band propagatton measurements in Florida

NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was developed to assist the creation and validation of communication technol ogy as it expands into the Ka Band (20/30 GHz) region. These frequencies are particularly affected by intense weather phenomena, hence reliable Signal transmission system design will rely heavily on both measurement data bases and validated models of channel characterization. Two years of propagation data have been collected and analyzed for a site located in Tampa, Florida (ITU Region N). This site experiences intense weather activity similar to equatorial regions. This paper will focus on the signal attenuation statistics, results are compared to predictions of the ITU and Global rain models.