Three-site space-diversity experiment at 20 GHz using ACTS in the Eastern United States

A three-site rain-fade space-diversity measurements experiment at 20 GHz has been in near continuous operation since September 1, 1994. Two receiver sites (at the Applied Phys. Laboratory ~APL\ of The Johns Hopkins University and COMSAT Laboratories) are located in Central Maryland, and the other is located in Virginia. The APL and COMSAT locations are separated by 33 km. The Virginia site is separated from APL by 44.5 km and from COMSAT by 30.5 km. Receivers at each of the sites measure the 20-GHz CW signal level from the radiating beacon onboard the geostationary Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). Because of the lateral variability of rain, the likelihood is diminished that intense rain cells will simultaneously intersect all three Earth-satellite paths. There is also a reduced likelihood that intense rain will simultaneously intersect two Earth-satellite paths associated with different two-site scenarios. Hence, a substantially smaller rain-fade margin is required when the sites operate in a diversity mode (e.g., connected together such that the largest signal is used) vis-a-vis uncoupled single terminal operation. In this effort, we examine the efficacy of employing three-site and two-site space-diversity systems to reduce the required fade margin. Single- and joint-terminal rain-fade distributions are calculated for both the three-site and different combinations of two-site scenarios. Diversity gains, which give a measure of the reduced fade margin, are determined from these distributions. The distributions and diversity gains are also individually determined for two six-month periods of the year for which precipitation is predominantly convective or stratiform, respectively. Comparisons between measured diversity gains and those estimated using the model of the radiocommunications sector of the International Telecommunications Union are made.