Analysis of ITU‐R VHF/UHF propagation prediction methods performance on irregular terrains covered by forest

Abstract

In the scope of very high-frequency (VHF) and ultra high-frequency (UHF) terrestrial communication or broadcasting systems planning, the use of point-to-area propagation prediction methods is expected. The benchmarking of such models on different scenarios is very helpful to assist the system planner in choosing those most suited to the site in hands. In this sense, this study provides a comparative performance analysis of the International Telecommunication Union radio communication sector (ITU-R) recommendations P.526, P.1546, and P.1812 and a few other models on a site marked by the presence of irregular terrain covered by forest. A set of measurements at 563 MHz at different spots in Rio de Janeiro city with such features was taken as reference. The best prediction performance was achieved by the P.526 and P.1812 methods, in addition to a wedge diffraction model, with path loss mean errors between -5 and 3 dB, and standard deviations between 8.7 and 9.2 dB. Such results were observed when the presence of the forest layer was incorporated adding a representative clutter height.