Requirements for direct short range, vehicle to roadside communications

The direct short communication (DSRC) link between immediate roadside and the vehicle is a key communication channel for several user services supported by the Department of Transportation. While current electronic toll collection systems operate in the 902-928 MHz band the Department of Transportation is petitioning the FCC to allocate the 5.850-5.925 GHz band for all DSRC applications. This study investigated the effectiveness of several vehicle and roadside antenna locations under simulated traffic vertical and horizontal polarization frequency of 5.8 GHz. The results demonstrated that vertically polarized antennas located external to the vehicle near the front license plate and roadside antennas integrated into traffic signs provided the most desirable field strength overall.