Microscale diversity in satellite communications

Results from an investigation into a microscale diversity scheme for the purpose of mitigating attenuation due to tropospheric scintillations are presented. Data from an experiment using the 20-GHz Olympus satellite beacon were analyzed to evaluate the performance of short-baseline site-diversity systems. Results indicate that with a baseline separation of about 50 m (at an elevation angle of 14 degrees in this experiment) the signals received by the main and diversity terminals become decorrelated. Examination of several high-scintillation events shows that such a diversity technique could substantially increase the uptime of low-power-margin VSAT systems. The performance of microscale diversity for several baseline separations is evaluated in terms of a parameter called diversity recovery. Applications and conditions under which microscale diversity performs best are addressed.<
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