Statistical Analysis of Short Term Fading and Shadowing in Ultra-Wideband Systems

Statistical analysis of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) signals is undertaken to examine the existence of short term fading and shadowing. Based on the data collected from multiple locations and 4 different sites using a single transmitter and a 96-element receiving antenna in the 2-8 GHz range, hypothesis testing was performed to explore the statistical fit to composite probability density functions such the double Rayleigh, double Nakagami and the K distribution as well as the Nakagami and lognormal. The tests clearly showed that excellent match existed with the K distribution, with the Nakagami distribution being the next best. These results point to the existence of shadowing besides the short fading reported by other researchers. They can also assist in the development of fading and shadowing mitigation techniques.