AlphaSat dual-frequency receiving station in Rome, Italy: upgrade of the Ka-band front-end and case study analysis

The AlphaSat TDP5 experiment, also now as Aldo Paraboni, is a scientific experiment held by the European Space Agency (ESA) to investigate radio propagation channel in the Ka and Q bands. The AlphaSat satellite was launched in orbit in 2013 and since then several European research group have been monitoring the received beacon signals to model physical effects of the atmosphere on the transmitted electromagnetic field. This article is aimed to describe the AlphaSat receiving station in Rome, focusing on the latest upgrade of the Ka-band receiver. Focused attention will be payed to the new tracking system for the Ka-band receiver and related enhancements of the overall performance. At the end, a case study from the acquired dataset will be analyzed aiming at the effects on the signal due to the atmospheric turbulence and rain.