Radio channel characterization for geolocation at 1 GHz, 500 MHz, 90 MHz and 60 MHz in SUO/SAS

In this paper, the results of measurements to characterize the radio channel for geolocation applications are presented. Measurements were made at 1 GHz, 500 MHz, 90 MHz and 60 MHz, in three different environments-commercial, office and residential areas-representative of SUO/SAS (small unit operation/situation awareness systems) scenarios. The characterization of the radio channel is provided through the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the relative received power and the errors in estimated distances based on the first and strongest paths extracted from the channel impulse responses (CIR). These results are used to evaluate the corresponding performance of a RAKE type receiver that can extract the first path and a traditional type receiver that locks onto the strongest signal.