Attenuation of large bandwidth microwave signals in water and wet sand

Large bandwidth microwave signals propagate in dispersive media as pulses that attenuate according to a non-exponential law. Although this is a direct consequence of wellknown theory of propagation in dispersive media, this fact is rarely acknowledged. The aim of this paper is an experimental study of this effect in fresh water and wet sand, both media of interest in Ground Penetrating Radar, which performances dramatically rely on capability of microwaves to propagate through soil.