Analysis of rain attenuation from experimental drop size distributions

The prediction and analysis of rain attenuation is gaining interest in the recent years, because of the increasing use of millimetre-wave radio communication systems. In these frequencies, propagation in the troposphere produces strong degradations in the presence of rain, with deep fades for even moderate rainfall rates. More detailed measurements of the rain phenomena can be obtained with the use of modern equipment. This kind of equipment provides experimental drop size distributions (DSD) that can be used to analyze the effects of past rain events. In this paper, the use of the experimental drop size distributions of rain to predict its effect on the propagation is discussed, taking into account the available measurements of the different instruments.