Statistical analysis of 19.7 GHz satellite beacon measurements in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The paper gives a description of newly established Ka-band ground propagation terminal in Ljubljana and presents statistical analysis of satellite signal propagation experiment. For this purpose, a low-cost beacon receiver was developed on the basis of Software Defined Radio. Propagation measurements of the 19.7 GHz beacon from Hot Bird 13A satellite have been carried out over a period of one year. A GNU Radio software development toolkit and Universal Software Radio Peripheral were used for software development and implementation. Statistical analysis of the beacon propagation measurements is done to create cumulative distribution functions of beacon attenuation, scintillation, fade dynamics and rain rate. Measurement results are discussed and compared to corresponding ITU-R models.