Weather effects on Ku band digital satellite television system in Kumasi

Abstract

Good signal reception in wireless communications depends on a reliable communication link. But as the signal travels through the communication link between the sender and the receiver, several factors affect the quality of the signal. One of these factors is the weather, especially in satellite communications with long link. Propagation measurements at frequencies above 10 GHz have been carried out fairly extensively in the temperate region where most of the developed countries are located. However, the scenario in the tropical region is not encouraging since the data coverage for this region is inadequate. In this regard, the effect of rain, harmattan, sunshine and cloudy weather conditions on a Ku band digital satellite television system was investigated at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) satellite laboratory in Kumasi with geographical coordinates 6° 41′ 0″ North, 1° 37′ 0″ West. The statistical characteristic of the signal in the various weather conditions indicated that during propagation of a Ku band satellite signal, rain attenuation is the primary cause of communication impairment. The ITU-R Rain attenuation model was then used to determine the rain attenuation for KNUST in Kumasi. The results were then compared with rain attenuation obtained for Washington DC.