Statistical analysis of the Syracuse 3 satellite EHF propagation experiment

An Earth-to-satellite propagation experiment operating in the EHF band was set up as part of the Syracuse 3 program. The Syracuse 3 satellites are the new generation of French military SATCOM systems. This experiment is a good opportunity to carry out attenuation measurements and increase knowledge about tropospheric propagation effects on EHF links at a low elevation angle (17deg). At these frequencies (20 & 44 GHz), the attenuation due to the troposphere can be very strong. This paper presents yearly statistics of attenuation level, frequency scaling ratio and fade durations. A comparison with ITU models is given.