Fade compensation in antenna optimization

The inclusion of link statistics for the attenuation into antenna gain optimization can improve the link by several dB over the traditional approach of optimizing for uniform gain over the coverage region. The method hinges on the ability of predicting the attenuation for a given service availability at any point within the coverage. A further advantage is obtainable if the increase in noise temperature at the ground terminal due to the rain attenuation is also included. The present example considers a static antenna design in which the attenuation function is derived based on the worst-month performance; with a reconfigurable antenna and means for monitoring the actual link performance it would be possible to incorporate dynamic compensation for fade, thereby improving the link performance dramatically.