LINE-OF-SIGHT PATH CHARCTERISTICS

LINE-OF-SIGHT PATH CHARCTERISTICS

Free Space Path
Loss or
Spreading Loss:

• Assumes Ideal Path

Conditions
• No Actual Loss or
Dissipation, just due to
Spreading of the Signal
Power as it Propagates
away from Tx Antenna
LINE-OF-SIGHT PATH CHARCTERISTICS
Path Clearance and
Antenna Heights:

• With a Proper Path

Clearance, Path Loss under
Normal Atmospheric
Conditions would be just Lp

• Phase Reversal is Possible

at Point C when Grazing
Angle of the Secondary Wave
is Small

• Signals Received thru

Paths AB and ACB will Tend
to Cancel Each Other when
Paths AB and ACB differ by
whole number of Half
Wavelengths

• Proper Clearance >= 0.6 H1

at least
(Preferably > H1)
 LINE-OF-SIGHT PATH CHARCTERISTICS
Channel Fading:
(below 10 GHz)
• With Shorter Inter-Tower
Distance, RSL remains
Constant within +1 dB over
long Periods of Time
(Provided TX Level is kept
Constant)

• For Extended Distances,

RSL Normally Vary around
a Nominal Median Range
for Most of the Time, but,
may Suddenly Drop by 10,
20, 30, 40 or even Higher
value from the Median for a
very Short time Intervals

• Deeper the Fade, Lesser

Chances of its Occurrence
and Shorter its Duration
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Difference between the Nominal Tx Output Power and Rx Min Power to Ensure Necessary
Performance
Pt – Cmin= Gs >= Algebraic Sum of all Gains and Losses on the Path
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
System Gain Parameters
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Signal Levels Relative to System Gains and Losses
Pt – Cmin= Gs >= Algebraic Sum of all Gains and Losses on the Path
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Fade Margin or Link Margin can be considered as a “fudge factor” in Gs equation to cope
with non-ideal and hard to predict nature of Radio Wave Propagation

• Multi-path Loss
•Terrain Sensitivity

For a Specified Annual System Reliability for an unprotected and non-diversity system,
Fade Margin Fm is defined as (Solving Barnett-Vignant Reliability Equations):
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Fade Margin or Link Margin can be considered as a “fudge factor” in Gs equation to cope
with non-ideal and hard to predict nature of Radio Wave Propagation

Example 13.2: (Use Equation 13.8, 13. 13, 13.14, and Table 13.3)
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Receiver Threshold or Receiver Sensitivity is the required Minimum Wideband Carrier
Power (Cmin) at the input of Rx that provides a usable baseband output

• Noise Power at the Input of Receiver

MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
• C/N vs S/N : C/N is a pre-detection (before the FM Dem.) S/N ratio measured at RF or IF level
inside a Rx whereas S?N is the Signal-to-Noise after the FM Demodulator.

• Noise Factor and Noise Figure: Figures of merit used to measure the deterioration of S/N as
a signal passes thru a system
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Example 13.4
MICROWAVE RADIO SYSTEM GAIN
Example 13.5