Olympus and Radar: A Site Diversity Measurement Setup in the Netherlands

Satellite communications using the 20 and 30 GHz bands are strongly affected by rain. In order to study the problem of link deterioration, a site diversity measurement setup has been built in the vicinity of Delft, the Netherlands consisting of 12/30 GHz beacon stations, 20 GHz radiometers and raingauges and supplemented with a FMCW weather surveillance radar and a FMCW high resolution all-parameter radar. After a description of the measurement setup, the radar characteristics in relation to rain reflectivities are discussed. Some results of radar, radiometer and beacon receiver which indicate the radar potentials of this facility in respect to the characterization of the satellite path effected by hydrometeors are presented.