Results of channel sounding measurements on two ferry routes in Vancouver, BC, Canada

The authors report the statistical results of RMS delay spreads obtained from the impulse response measurements on the propagation channels of two ferry routes. They also present some impulse responses measured as the ferry was passing through regions where multipath echoes are known to be very active. At both ends of route F2 (Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, 30 miles; 1 hr 35 min crossing time) the line-of-sight paths were obstructed by islands, and multipath signals were very active. Route F1 (Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay; 24 miles; 1 hr 35 min crossing time) crisscrosses many islands. In this region, multipath signals are extremely active. The channel impulse response measurements were made with a spread spectrum channel sounder at a frequency of 916 MHz. A chip rate of 3.125 Mb/s, a PN code word length of 127 bits, and a slip rate of 1 kHz were used. Results indicate that at a threshold of -20 dBc, RMS delay spread of 10 μs and 12 μs were exceeded 10% of the time for routes F2 and F1, respectively