Satellite Communication and Propagation Experiments in Antarctic Regions

During the year 1980, an experiment was performed to analyse propagation effects on L-band satellite communications in the antarctic regions. A receiving station was installed at the Argentinian Antarctic Station Belgrano II, with the support of the Argentinian Space Agency (CNIE) and the Argentinian Antarctic Directorate (DNA). The equipment consisted of special receivers and antennas for receiving the Atlantic Marisat satellite. The measurements cover 10 months of continuous operation with simultaneous recording of the magnetic field variations and logging of atmospheric data. The elevation angle of the satellite is approximately 30. The results of the measurements presented in this paper show the influence of propagation effects on the unmodulated signal and their changes as a function of the time of the year. Large attenuation fluctuations (20 dB) were observed daily, with a very interesting time cycle from day to day.