Characterization of RF signal transmission using FSO links considering atmospheric effects

Abstract

Radio on Free-Space Optics (RoFSO) communication systems have attracted a considerable attention for a variety of applications where optical fibers are not feasible, especially in rural areas, to provide ubiquitous wireless services quickly and more effectively. RoFSO links can be used to transmit signals like cellular W-CDMA, terrestrial digital TV or WLAN signals. In spite of its potential, such links are highly dependent on the deployment environment characteristics in particular the weather conditions. Severity and duration of the atmospheric effects have direct impact on the availability of the links as well as on the quality of RF signal transmitted over it. Thus, the necessity of investigating the effects of various weather conditions on RF signal transmission using FSO links. In collaboration with several institutions, we are currently developing an advanced Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) RoFSO antenna capable of transporting multiple RF signals. As preliminary work, we are conducting experiments on a 1 km link using an off-the-shelf Radio Frequency - FSO (RF-FSO) antenna, with the objective of obtaining and characterizing performance related parameters of RF-FSO transmission in operational environment. As an example, we examine the influence of atmospheric turbulence on the transmission quality of W-CDMA signal. Among the performance metric of interest is the Adjacent Channel Leakage Power Ratio (ACLR) which will be measured, analyzed and correlated with the weather conditions. An atmospheric fluctuation model for estimating the communication quality of RF signal transmission on FSO links is being developed. Also the obtained results will be used for the deployment environment characterization as well as baseline for the design and performance evaluation of new advanced DWDM RoFSO communication systems we are currently developing.