2DE-WAVE Tool for Computing Theoretical Field Levels at MF & HF band and Comparison with Experimental Values in a Real Environment

This paper presents a study of electric field values at medium wave in an area of 160 × 160 km², analyzing it under a theoretical point of view and contrasting the results with values from experimental campaigns. The implemented application is named 2-Dimensional Electric-Wave (2DE-WAVE), and it is based on the GRWAVE program from the ITU for flat land but incorporates the Millington method for mixed paths. The obtained results show the importance of characterizing the terrain with accurate conductivity and permittivity values due to the high influence that these parameters have on the electric field. When comparing theoretical and experimental values, we observed that, in general terms, they agree well for not very rough terrains but with certain field fluctuations, particularly in “shadow areas” either by the presence of buildings or remarkable topographical irregularities. Absolute mean errors of theoretical versus experimental values between 2.4 and 2.9 dB with deviations of 2.8 and 3.3 dB were obtained in an area of 20 × 25 km² surrounding the transmitters, which reaffirm us the need to validate the simulation values with field measurements. Illustrative maps of the difference between theoretical and experimental electric field values are also shown.