Measurement, modeling, and simulation of digital LOS microwave channels with applications to outage prediction

A summary of prior work in the field of microwave line-of-sight (LOS) channel propagation measurements, channel models, and channel simulators is presented. The objective of these efforts is the reliable prediction of digital microwave radio performance on any specified link. Many digital radio outage prediction techniques are predicted upon the use of m-curves, which characterize a digital radio's performance in a simulated fading environment. These m-curves are generated by subjecting the radio under test to simulated multipath fading. This requires the use of a channel simulator that accurately emulates the fading conditions found on real LOS links. All parameters of an ideal channel simulator should be based on a model that has been validated through propagation measurements on a number of different paths. Although much progress has been made, some issues remain for further investigation. New channel propagation measurement, modeling, and simulation results that are directly applicable to these issues are given.<
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