The Alphasat Aldo Paraboni experiment is one of ASI’s current science campaigns to further understand the effects the troposphere has on the propagation of space-borne communication signals. The experiment focuses on two continuous wave beacons operating in the Ka (19.701 GHz, vertical polarization) and the Q (39.402 GHz, linear 45° tilted polarization) frequency bands, covering the whole of Europe. Alphasat is an INMARSAT operated geosynchronous satellite with an orbital inclination with respect to the Equatorial plane, that houses a payload with communication capability operating at Q and V bands, and with propagation capability operating at Ka and Q bands. Both the Ka and Q propagation beacons are received by two ground stations in Italy owned by ASI; Politecnico di Milano is in charge of the data analysis. One of the stations is located in Tito Scalo (South Italy) with an elevation angle of 42.1° and the other in Spino d’Adda (North Italy) with an elevation angle of 35.5°. Each ground station features a 4.2 m Cassegrain antenna and a receiver with a dynamic range of about 50 dB, that collects the co-polar signals at 19.701 GHz and 39.402 GHz with a sampling rate of 16 Hz to capture the scintillation effects, in addition to the relative beacon power level. Moreover, each ground station also has a microwave radiometer to measure the clear sky attenuation levels along the signal trajectory, a tipping bucket rain gauge to measure the amount of local rainfall, and an ancillary meteorological station to record local temperature, pressure, and windspeed. Within this paper, the Ka and Q beacon measurements at both sites are presented for the 9 years from 2015 to 2023, as well the first order statistics of attenuation for both frequencies, with a comparison made between the experimental values and model predictions. In addition, an analysis is also given on the scintillation effect for both the Ka and Q band beacon signals, for the same period.
Multiyear statistics of Alphasat Beacon Measurements at ASI ground stations Tito Scalo and Spino d’Adda
C. Riva;L. Luini;M. D'Amico;M. Turner;A. Comisso;
2024-01-01
Abstract
The Alphasat Aldo Paraboni experiment is one of ASI’s current science campaigns to further understand the effects the troposphere has on the propagation of space-borne communication signals. The experiment focuses on two continuous wave beacons operating in the Ka (19.701 GHz, vertical polarization) and the Q (39.402 GHz, linear 45° tilted polarization) frequency bands, covering the whole of Europe. Alphasat is an INMARSAT operated geosynchronous satellite with an orbital inclination with respect to the Equatorial plane, that houses a payload with communication capability operating at Q and V bands, and with propagation capability operating at Ka and Q bands. Both the Ka and Q propagation beacons are received by two ground stations in Italy owned by ASI; Politecnico di Milano is in charge of the data analysis. One of the stations is located in Tito Scalo (South Italy) with an elevation angle of 42.1° and the other in Spino d’Adda (North Italy) with an elevation angle of 35.5°. Each ground station features a 4.2 m Cassegrain antenna and a receiver with a dynamic range of about 50 dB, that collects the co-polar signals at 19.701 GHz and 39.402 GHz with a sampling rate of 16 Hz to capture the scintillation effects, in addition to the relative beacon power level. Moreover, each ground station also has a microwave radiometer to measure the clear sky attenuation levels along the signal trajectory, a tipping bucket rain gauge to measure the amount of local rainfall, and an ancillary meteorological station to record local temperature, pressure, and windspeed. Within this paper, the Ka and Q beacon measurements at both sites are presented for the 9 years from 2015 to 2023, as well the first order statistics of attenuation for both frequencies, with a comparison made between the experimental values and model predictions. In addition, an analysis is also given on the scintillation effect for both the Ka and Q band beacon signals, for the same period.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
