Validation of Deterministic Radio Propagation Algorithms for UHF Mobile Network Planning in Mountain Environment

In order to validate a deterministic radio propagation algorithm, a measurement campaign was performed in the alpine valleys of "Valle d'Aosta", Italy, at 430 MHz (a common frequency for the European standard TETRA). Some diffraction methods from literature (Bullington, Deygout and Epstein-Peterson) were used to predict radio coverage maps, then compared to measurements. However, in alpine terrain, the diffraction is not the only involved propagation phenomenon: along narrow valleys, multipath propagation due to reflections is significant too and must be taken into account. So, a model that handles contributions from both diffraction and reflection phenomena was built up and showed to be in good agreement with measurements. From the comparison between measurements and simulations it has been possible develop, adjust and validate a full software useful for planning new UHF mobile network requiring as input just the DEM (digital elevation model) and antennas characteristics.