Study of propagation over two ends of a vessel in VHF band

Channel characteristics and temporal variations associated with VHF waves propagation between the engine control room (ECR) and the bridge room on board a vessel is presented in this paper. Temporal variation associated with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Rician K-factor as well as the root-mean-square (RMS) delay spread obtained from wideband sounding are studied and compared for two different transmitter positions. Better reception, i.e. higher SNR, higher K-factor is obtained for the transmitter at a position closer to the receiver, but temporal variation on the two mentioned parameters is more severe and lower maximum usable data rate is associated with that link due to engine rotations and human activities near the transmitter position.