Microdiversity on a 20 GHz slant path in Norway

Results from one year of a micro-diversity slant path measurement on a 20 GHz satellite beacon signal with 21.7° elevation in the South of Norway are presented. The two measurement sites are located 580 meters apart and oriented parallel with the main weather movement direction found in this part of Norway. The baseline between the stations was nearly perpendicular with the path towards the satellite. Due to the limited spatial correlation of high intensity rain events, there is a reduced likelihood that high attenuation will occur simultaneously at two stations located some distance from each other. In this study the goal is to see if sites placed at opposite ends of the same gateway station are far enough to provide site diversity improvement. The measured attenuation was significantly lower than during the previous two years of measurements at the same site. Diversity gain achieved by choosing the receiver with the lowest attenuation at any given moment was rather low for attenuation events below 15 dB and in good agreement with the ITU-R model. During periods with higher attenuation values the results from the few events that occurred suggest that a higher gain is achievable.