Ka- and ku-band satellite availability and frequency diversity characteristics during rain using state transition matrix

In satellite communications with frequencies above 10 GHz generally, attenuation of the received signal due to rain cannot be mitigated. In this presentation, we paid attention to the frequency diversity as a countermeasure technique against the rainfall attenuation. First, we compared the satellite availability obtained from the time-series measurement data during rain that estimated from the state transition matrix analysis. The availability estimated, especially when the duration time t is 1 and 3 seconds, coincides well with the measured data. Next, as an application of availability estimated from the state transition matrix, we applied it to the frequency diversity technique using Ku- and Ka-band signals. Satellite communication capacity using the frequency diversity is derived from the state transition matrix quantitatively. Even if Ka-band small satellite with less transmitting power is used for the diversity, the availability can be increased if the store-and-forward communication system like the internet is assumed for satellite communication.