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The behaviour of very low frequency (V.L.F.) radio waves propagating in an ionlzed medium, such as the ionosphere and exosphere, may exhibit markedly different characteristics from those of frequencies such as are used for communication in the short-wave bands. The anisotropy introduced into the medium by the presence of the earth's magnetic field has a significant effect, while at frequencies below about 5KHz the presence of heavy positive ions may further affect propagation. In particular it is found that, under suitable conditions, V.L.F. signals may propagate along paths closely following the lines of force of the earth's magnetic field. The study of such signals has a practical interest in that, from consideration of their propagation times and dispersion properties, they can provide an inexpensive method of determining electron densities at well beyond the range of satellite investigation. For this reason, if for no other, theoretical investigation of the paths traced in a model exosphere may indicate how closely the model exosphere approximates the true one. A powerful method of tracing out these paths is by the use of "ray-tracing", provided the properties of the medium vary slowly in space, a condition not always fulfilled in practice. It has been the subject of this thesis to carry out ray-tracing studies, in particular noting the effects of the positive ions in the exosphere; effects which have not received much notice before as they were thought to be unimportant. Intro., p. 1-2.

In this study, the properties of the reflected paths and scattering phenomena were investigated in the LMDS band (28 GHz). We used the newly developed sampling swept time delay short pulse (SSTDSP) sounder to collect field data in certain locations on the Virginia Tech campus. The sounder collected the channel impulse response analog waveform, sampled, digitized and reconstructed it. The stored data were used to produce the power delay profile and other channel parameters. In particular, we collected scattered and reflected data regarding the channel response with different incident angle and distance set-ups from brick and limestone walls. We used the reflected pulse width and maximum excess delay derived from each power delay profile to analyze the rough surface scattering phenomena. We found that limestone and brick walls exhibited some diffuse scattering. The reflected pulse of a limestone wall had more maximum excess delay spread than did a brick wall at -15dB power threshold. The mean maximum excess delay for the reflected pulse of the limestone wall measurement set-ups was more than two times that of the brick wall. With equal transmitter and receiver distances to the wall, we found that as the incident angle increased, the maximum excess delay decreased but the perpendicular reflection coefficient increased. It is recommended that for future study, a second generation SSTDSP sounder will replicate the measurement with larger distance and angle set-ups as well as in non-line-of-sight areas. / Master of Science

Land mobile satellite systems that are currently being designed for implementation in the next decade will need to operate in the presence of propagation effects such as vegetative shadowing and multipath that will cause signal fading. This paper discusses the statistical modeling and simulation of the land mobile satellite fading environment. Simple models are developed to approximate the complex analytical expressions for the fade distributions. The Average Path Model, which relates the physical parameters of the vegetation along the path to the propagation model parameters, is verified and shown as a useful model for estimating the propagation parameters. Discrepancies between the VT Propagation Simulator and the analytical models are resolved and results comparing secondary fading statistics from the simulator to measured data are given. Results of a study using the propagation simulator to simulate spatial diversity to combat vegetative fading are given. / Master of Science

This thesis describes the findings of research conducted as to the feasibility of using the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) digital topographic database for the automated prediction of radio transmitter coverage area. The objective was to assess the adequacy of the USCGS database to support radio-frequency path-loss and terrain clearance calculations. The assessment was made by investigating the basic features of the tapes and of the coverage calculation process. From this investigation, a prototype computer program was developed which calculated coverage areas from sample data tapes. The computer code for the program is included. / M.S.

Modelling ionospheric total electron content (TEC) is an important area of interest for radio wave propagation, geodesy, surveying, the understanding of space weather dynamics and error correction in relation to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNNS) applications. With the utilisation of improved ionosonde technology coupled with the use of GNSS, the response of technological systems due to changes in the ionosphere during both quiet and disturbed conditions can be historically inferred. TEC values are usually derived from GNSS measurements using mathematically intensive algorithms. However, the techniques used to estimate these TEC values depend heavily on the availability of near-real time GNSS data, and therefore, are sometimes unable to generate complete datasets. This thesis investigated possibilities for the modelling of TEC values derived from the South African Global Positioning System (GPS)receiver network using linear regression methods and artificial neural networks (NNs). GPS TEC values were derived using the Adjusted Spherical Harmonic Analysis (ASHA) algorithm. Considering TEC and the factors that influence its variability as “dependent and independent variables” respectively, the capabilities of linear regression methods and NNs for TEC modelling were first investigated using a small dataset from two GPS receiver stations. NN and regression models were separately developed and used to reproduce TEC fluctuations at different stations not included in the models’ development. For this purpose, TEC was modelled as a function of diurnal variation, seasonal variation, solar and magnetic activities. Comparative analysis showed that NN models provide predictions of GPS TEC that were an improvement on those predicted by the regression models developed. A separate study to empirically investigate the effects of solar wind on GPS TEC was carried out. Quantitative results indicated that solar wind does not have a significant influence on TEC variability. The final TEC simulation model developed makes use of the NN technique to find the relationship between historical TEC data variations and factors that are known to influence TEC variability (such as solar and magnetic activities, diurnal and seasonal variations and the geographical locations of the respective GPS stations) for the purposes of regional TEC modelling and mapping. The NN technique in conjunction with interpolation and extrapolation methods makes it possible to construct ionospheric TEC maps and to analyse the spatial and temporal TEC behaviour over Southern Africa. For independent validation, modelled TEC values were compared to ionosonde TEC and the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) generated TEC values during both quiet and disturbed conditions. This thesis provides a comprehensive guide on the development of TEC models for predicting ionospheric variability over the South African region, and forms a significant contribution to ionospheric modelling efforts in Africa.

Satellite systems are being planned for two-way communication with mobile vehicles using UHF and L-band frequencies. Of special concern in the system design are the characteristics of propagation in suburban and rural areas where fading occurs due to multipath effects and vegetative shadowing. A review of the literature was performed to study these propagation impairments. Available experimental data are examined, compared, and summarized. Propagation through vegetation is studied in order to compare reported modeling efforts and to determine the parameter dependences of path loss. A simple deterministic path model is then presented to estimate vegetative path loss. An overall statistical model is also proposed to describe the signal level fading statistics. The statistical model is compared to data, and the deterministic path model is used to determine the mean of signal level distribution functions in the presence of shadowing. / Master of Science

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Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / With the introduction of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) in many organizations, it became much easier to intercept confidential files and personal health records. The present study focused on radio frequency propagation in a high-rise building, specifically, the attenuation between floors, and the possibility of intercepting signals through the floors. The current work is based on simulations using the Urbana software tool. It is used to predict the contour of the power levels of signals for a given physical model of the environment using high-frequency ray-tracing methods. The simulation results indicated that the signal levels for a 1 W transmitter could only be detected at the -70 dBm level within two floors (above or below). Even within the two floor range the signal distribution was very nonuniform due to the effects of multipath. The results indicated that closing doors reduced the signal levels, but only slightly for wood doors. Signals escaped the building through the window and were able to travel between floors via this path. The ray tracing accounted for only single diffraction, and therefore rays diffracted two or more times were not included. / Captain, Tunisian Air Force

Thesis (D.Sc.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Science, 1959.