Attenuation due to vegetation for satellite services: Winter season measurement

In this paper we report the results of a series of measurements to investigate the influence of vegetation on satellite communications in the L, S and C bands during the winter months. These measurements were performed by a 9m-long remote-controlled airship used as a pseudo-satellite to carry a narrowband transmitter while the receiver station was located on the ground at four different locations inside small groves in order to involve different types of vegetation. Flyovers were performed to obtain data for the widest range of elevation and azimuth angles. The measurements presented, performed during March 2010, are an extension to the results of the measurement campaign carried out in Stromovka Park in the city of Prague during June 2009. A short comparison with data acquired during the summer is also presented.