Joint antenna and propagation model parameter estimation using RSS measurements

In this paper, a semi-parametric model for RSS measurements is introduced that can be used to predict coverage in cellular radio networks. The model is composed of an empirical log-distance model and a deterministic antenna gain model that accounts for possible non-uniform base station antenna radiation. A least-squares estimator is proposed to jointly estimate the path loss and antenna gain model parameters. Simulation as well as experimental results verify the efficacy of this approach. The method can provide improved accuracy compared to conventional path loss based estimation methods.