Alphasat propagation experiment in Madrid: Results on excess and total attenuation

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) is participating in the Alphasat propagation experiment by measuring the copolar level of the Q-Band beacon at 39.4 GHz since April 2014. In this paper the results of the first two complete years of measurements (until March 2016) are presented with regards to excess and total attenuation. The reference level is calculated on an event-by-event basis in the first case, and obtained from GNSS-based gas attenuation in the second one. The results reflect the variability of the meteorological conditions in the climate of Madrid, with strong differences among the months of the year and between the two years, reinforcing the need of having long-term propagation experiments to capture all the variability of the propagation effects.