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Vogel, Wolfhard J.

Publications and source records attributed to Vogel, Wolfhard J..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

An Overview of the Revised Mobile Satellite Handbook. 'Propagation Effects for Land Mobile Satellite Systems: Overview of Experimental and Modeling Results'

A review of the planned revised mobile satellite propagation handbook is presented. The revised manual will have a broadened scope such that it contains propagation information related to personal-mobile, airmobile, and marine-mobile scenarios; subject areas; previously not covered in the former document. It will also review new experiments, revised and new empirical and theoretical models developed since the previous publication. It is expected that many of the chapters will have been made accessible on the World Wide Web (http://propagation jpl.nasa.gov) by the time of the presentation of this paper. A formal document is expected to be published during the fall of 1997. As a sample of the contents of the revised handbook, the Extended Empirical Roadside Shadowing Model is described in detail.

Goldhirsh, Julius↗
NASA NTRS1996

Image Analysis as a Tool for Satellite-Earth Propagation Studies

We present a progress report on a useful new method to assess propagation problems for outdoor mobile Earth-satellite paths. The method, Photogrammetric Satellite Service Prediction (PSSP) is based on the determination of Land Mobile Satellite Systems (LMSS) service attributes at the locations of static or mobile LMSS service users by evaluating fisheye images of their environment. This paper gives an overview of the new method and its products.

Akturan, Riza↗
NASA NTRS1996

Description of Proposed Revision of Handbook on: Propagation Effects for Land Mobile Satellite Systems

The original Handbook on Propagation Effects for Land Mobile Satellite Systems contains only referenced material through 1991. This paper describes a proposed revision to the Handbook based on some pertinent mobile satellite experiments performed and modeling results obtained since 1991. A suggested title is proposed and a summary of the type of new material to be included in the revised text is given.

Goldhirsh, Julius↗
NASA NTRS1996

Fade Measurements into Buildings from 500 to 3000 MHz

Slant-path fade measurements from 500 to 3000 MHz were made into six different buildings employing a vector network analyzer, a tower-mounted transmitting antenna and an automatically positioned receiving antenna. The objective of the measurements was to provide information for satellite audio broadcasting and personal communications satellite design on the correlation of fading inside buildings. Fades were measured with 5 cm spatial separation and every 0.2 percent of the frequency. Median fades ranged from 10 to 20 dB in woodframe houses with metal roofs and walls without and with an aluminum heat shield, respectively. The median decorrelation distance was from 0.5 to 1.1. m and was independent of frequency. The attenuation into the buildings increased only moderately with frequency in most of the buildings with a median slope of about 1 to 3 db/GHz, but increased fastest in the least attenuating building with a slope of 5 dB/GHz. The median decorrelation bandwidth ranged from 1.2 to 3.8 percent of frequency in five of the buildings, and was largest in the least attenuating building, with 20.2 percent of frequency.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

GPS Multipath Fade Measurements to Determine L-Band Ground Reflectivity Properties

In personal satellite communications, especially when the line-of-sight is clear, ground specular reflected signals along with direct signals are received by low gain, almost omni-directional subscriber antennas. A six-channel, C/A code processing, GPS receiver with an almost omni-directional patch antenna was used to take measurements over three types of ground to characterize 1.575 GHz specular ground reflections and ground dielectric properties. Fade measurements were taken over grass, asphalt, and lake water surfaces by placing the antenna in a vertical position at a fixed height from the ground. Electrical characteristics (conductivity and dielectric constant) of these surfaces (grass, asphalt, lake water) were obtained by matching computer simulations to the experimental results.

Kavak, Adnan↗
NASA NTRS1996

Fade Measurements into Buildings from 500 to 3000 MHz

Slant-path fade measurements from 500 to 3000 MHz were made into six different buildings employing a vector network analyzer, a tower-mounted transmitting antenna and an automatically positioned receiving antenna. The objective of the measurements was to provide information for satellite audio broadcasting and personal communications satellite design on the correlation of fading inside buildings. Fades were measured with 5 cm spatial separation and every 0.2% of the frequency. Median fades ranged from 10 to 20 dB in woodframe houses with metal roofs and walls without and with an aluminum heatshield, respectively. The median decorrelation distance was from 0.5 to 1.1 m and was independent of frequency. The attenuation into the buildings increased only moderately with frequency in most of the buildings with a median slope of about 1 to 3 dB/GHz, but increased fastest in the least attenuating building with a slope of 5 dB/GHz. The median decorrelation bandwidth ranged from 1.2 to 3.8% of frequency in five of the buildings, and was largest in the least attenuating building, with 20.2% of frequency.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Into building fading at L- and S-band for satellite PCS

Selected results from L- and S-Band slant-path fade measurements into six different buildings employing a tower-mounted transmitter and dual-frequency receiver are presented. The objective of the measurements was to provide information for personal communications satellite design on the correlation of fading inside buildings between frequencies near 1620 and 2500 MHz. Fades were measured along horizontal directions with 5 cm spacing. Fade differences between L- and S-Band exhibited a normal distribution with means usually near 0 dB and standard deviations from 7.2 to 8.2 dB. After spatial averaging over a few wavelengths, the correlation between L- and S-Band was significantly improved. Simultaneous swept measurements over 160 MHz spans showed that the standard deviation of the power levels as function of frequency increased linearly with average fade depth from a minimum of about 1.3 dB and increased by .2 dB per 1 dB of fade. Fade slopes were also a function of fade level, with LMSS-Band averages in the range of 1 to 2 dB/MHz for 10 dB fades and increasing to about 3 to 4 dB/MHz at a 30 dB fade.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Measurement of satellite PCS fading using GPS

A six-channel commercial GPS receiver with a custom-made 40 deg tilted, rotating antenna has been assembled to make fade measurements for personal satellite communications. The system can measure up to two times per minute fades of up to 15 dB in the direction of each tracked satellite from 10 to 90 deg elevation. Photographic fisheye lens images were used to categorize the fade data obtained in several test locations according to fade states of clear, shadowed, or blocked. Multipath effects in the form of annular rings can be observed when most of the sky is clear. Tree fading by a Pecan exceeding 3.5 dB and 12 dB at 50 to 10 percent probability, respectively, compared with median fades of 7.5 dB measured earlier and the discrepancy is attributed to the change in ratio when measuring over an area as opposed to along a line. Data acquired inside buildings revealed 'rf-leaky' ceilings. Satellite diversity gain in a shadowed environment exceeded 6 dB at the 10 percent probability.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Simultaneous measurements of L- and S-band tree shadowing for space-Earth communications

We present results from simultaneous L- and S-Band slant-path fade measurements through trees. One circularly-polarized antenna was used at each end of the dual-frequency link to provide information on the correlation of tree shadowing at 1620 and 2500 MHz. Fades were measured laterally in the shadow region with 5 cm spacing. Fade differences between L- and S-Band had a normal distribution with low means and standard deviations from 5.2 to 7.5 dB. Spatial variations occurred with periods larger than 1-2 wavelengths. Swept measurements over 160 MHz spans showed that the stdv. of power as function of frequency increased from approximately 1-6 dB at locations with mean fades of 4 and 20 dB, respectively. At a 5 dB fade, the central 90% of fade slopes were within a range of 0.7 (1.9) dB/MHz at L-(S-) Band.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

ACTS mobile propagation campaign

Preliminary results are presented for three propagation measurement campaigns involving a mobile receiving laboratory and 20 GHz transmissions from the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). Four 1994 campaigns were executed during weekly periods in and around Austin, Texas in February and May, in Central Maryland during March, and in Fairbanks, Alaska and environs in June. Measurements tested the following effects at 20 GHz: (1) attenuation due to roadside trees with and without foliage, (2) multipath effects for scenarios in which line-of-sight paths were unshadowed, (3) fades due to terrain and roadside obstacles, (4) fades due to structures in urban environs, (5) single tree attenuation, and (6) effects of fading at low elevation angles (8 deg in Fairbanks, Alaska) and high elevation angles (55 deg in Austin, Texas). Results presented here cover sampled measurements in Austin, Texas for foliage and non-foliage cases and in Central Maryland for non-foliage runs.

Goldhirsh, Julius↗
NASA NTRS1994

Slant path L- and S-Band tree shadowing measurements

This contribution presents selected results from simultaneous L- and S-Band slant-path fade measurements through a pecan, a cottonwood, and a pine tree employing a tower-mounted transmitter and dual-frequency receiver. A single, circularly-polarized antenna was used at each end of the link. The objective was to provide information for personal communications satellite design on the correlation of tree shadowing between frequencies near 1620 and 2500 MHz. Fades were measured along 10 m lateral distance with 5 cm spacing. Instantaneous fade differences between L- and S-Band exhibited normal distribution with means usually near 0 dB and standard deviations from 5.2 to 7.5 dB. The cottonwood tree was an exception, with 5.4 dB higher average fading at S- than at L-Band. The spatial autocorrelation reduced to near zero with lags of about 10 lambda. The fade slope in dB/MHz is normally distributed with zero mean and standard deviation increasing with fade level.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Photogrammetric mobile satellite service prediction

Photographic images of the sky were taken with a camera through a fisheye lens with a 180 deg field-of-view. The images of rural, suburban, and urban scenes were analyzed on a computer to derive quantitative information about the elevation angles at which the sky becomes visible. Such knowledge is needed by designers of mobile and personal satellite communications systems and is desired by customers of these systems. The 90th percentile elevation angle of the skyline was found to be 10 deg, 17 deg, and 51 deg in the three environments. At 8 deg, 75 percent, 75 percent, and 35 percent of the sky was visible, respectively. The elevation autocorrelation fell to zero with a 72 deg lag in the rural and urban environment and a 40 deg lag in the suburb. Mean estimation errors are below 4 deg.

Akturan, Riza↗
NASA NTRS1993

Large-scale rainfall diversity for ACTS

From the NOAA 15 minute precipitation file for the US, data were selected for a set of 23 stations spanning a 5 year period. The selection covers the spot beam locations for ACTS and the propagation experiment sites. There is a 2 percent probability of having any simultaneous rain at 3 or more stations, but this reduces to less than 0.001 percent at a rainfall rate of 40 mm/hr.

Lin, H. P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Tree attenuation at 20 GHz: Foliage effects

Static tree attenuation measurements at 20 GHz (K-Band) on a 30 deg slant path through a mature Pecan tree with and without leaves showed median fades exceeding approximately 23 dB and 7 dB, respectively. The corresponding 1% probability fades were 43 dB and 25 dB. Previous 1.6 GHz (L-Band) measurements for the bare tree case showed fades larger than those at K-Band by 3.4 dB for the median and smaller by approximately 7 dB at the 1% probability. While the presence of foliage had only a small effect on fading at L-Band (approximately 1 dB additional for the median to 1% probability range), the attenuation increase was significant at K-Band, where it increased by about 17 dB over the same probability range.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

ACTS data center

Viewgraphs on ACTS Data Center status report are included. Topics covered include: ACTS Data Center Functions; data flow overview; PPD flow; RAW data flow; data compression; PPD distribution; RAW Data Archival; PPD Audit; and data analysis.

Syed, Ali↗
NASA NTRS1993

Propagation measurements for satellite radio reception inside buildings

Swept CW signals (from 700 to 1800 MHz) were received inside six buildings of brick, corrugated sheet-metal, wood-frame, mobile-home, and reinforced concrete-wall construction. A transmitter antenna was mounted outdoors on top of an 18 m tower to simulate a satellite, and a linearly scanned directional receiver antenna was used to probe the spatial, spectral, and temporal variability of the signal indoors. Levels were found to have much structure in the spatial and frequency domain, but were relatively stable in time. Typically, people moving nearby produced variations of less than 0.5 dB, whereas a person blocking the transmission path produced fades of 6 to 10 dB. Severe losses (17.5 dB) were observed in the concrete-wall building, which also exhibited the longest multipath delays (over 100 ns). Losses inside a mobile home were even larger (over 20 dB) and were independent of antenna orientation. The power-frequency distortion increased with the logarithm of the bandwidth, but could be reduced by moving to a position of higher power. Only the losses showed a clear frequency dependence, but they could be mitigated by moving the antenna.

Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

K-band mobile propagation measurements using ACTS

An overview of two planned propagation campaigns employing land-mobile scenarios with ACTS is presented. The campaigns will be undertaken through a joint effort involving the Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), The University of Texas at Austin, Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory (EERL), and the NASA Lewis Research Center (NASA LeRC). Propagation campaigns are planned in Central Maryland in November 1993 (elevation angle approx. equals 40 deg.) and in Fairbanks, Alaska in June 1994 (elevation angle approx. equals 8 deg.) employing a computer controlled antenna tracking system located atop a van containing a receiver/data acquisition system. The antenna will track (in azimuth) downlink transmissions at 19.914 GHz from ACTS during the mobile propagation measurements. The major objectives of the campaigns are to measure the fade and multipath effects of trees and terrain at 20 GHz for rural and suburban scenarios and to extend existing models which were previously validated at UHF to S-Band.

Goldhirsh, Julius↗