The influence of rain on satellite link availability at Ku‐ and Ka‐bands in Saudi Arabia

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Al‐Ruwais, Abdulaziz Salem

Affiliations: College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia E‐mail: asruwais@ksu.edu.sa

Abstract: An assessment of rain attenuation on satellite link availability within Saudi Arabia at Ku‐ and Ka‐bands is presented. The calculation of rain attenuation depends on a locally generated rain map, which differs from the rain climatic regions established by the CCIR. The variation of rain attenuation at Ku‐ and Ka‐bands with elevation angle is presented. Results of up and down link rain margins versus total system availability are given for the Ku‐ and Ka‐bands. A comparison with the predictions based on the current CCIR results shows that rain attenuation is underestimated significantly in some regions within Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Satellite, Ku, Ka, rain, availability, VSAT, Saudi Arabia

Journal: Space Communications, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 121-134, 1998