Directional 3D real-time dual-polarized measurement of wideband mobile radio channel

The measurement method presented in this paper enables the complete characterization of the mobile radio channel including polarization, Doppler behavior, and three-dimensional spatial information (azimuth, elevation, and delay) of the signal multipath components. The method is based on a wideband radio channel sounder and a spherical antenna array. The measurement method enables the separation of multipaths with the same excess delay and Doppler shift as long as their angular separation is not less than 40/spl deg/, and path loss difference not larger than 10 dB. The polarization vector of the signal can also be measured with 9 dB dynamic range. The achieved delay resolution is 33 ns, which corresponds to path length of 10 m. The maximum mobile speed for /spl plusmn/2% phase accuracy is 10 m/s. The measured channel statistics can be used for evaluation of antennas for mobile handsets, as well as developing polarization and radiation pattern diversity antennas for handsets.