Relationship between measured 900 MHz complex impulse responses and topographical map data

1 GHz complex impulse response data in mountainous terrain is measured at closely spaced locations, and is processed as data from a synthetic aperture array. Experimental data from linear and crossed arrays with 50 or 100 elements is considered. The direction of arrival for each delayed component is identified, and contour plots of the receiver power at bearings and distances are produced. These contour plots closely match the topography of the region, and clearly indicate that the strongest mountain reflections come from the steepest slopes. These results are used to establish a relationship between the mountain reflection coefficients and the topography, thus making it possible to invert the problem and estimate the impulse response (multipath delay profile) in mountainous terrain directly from topographical map data. Such estimates can help to select cell site locations and antenna configurations to minimize the delay spread