RAIN FADING

MULTIPATH FADING DUE TO RAIN

by Ma. Kirsten Faye R. Boral
 FADING

- REDUCTION IN A SIGNAL
- OCCURS WHEN THE RECEIVED SIGNAL POWER VARIES WITH RESPECT TO TIME (AND OTHER
VARIOUS VARIABLES)
 RAIN FADING

- IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS RAIN ATTENUATION

- IT REFERS TO THE ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING OF A MICROWAVE RADIO FREQUENCY (RF)
SIGNAL BY ATMOSPHERIC RAIN, SNOW OR ICE
- ANY FORM OF PRECIPITATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SUCH AS WHAT OCCURS IN THE CLOUDS
TO FORM RAIN, CAUSES ATTENUATION OF THE SIGNAL DUE TO REFRACTION
- IT CAN AFFECT SATELLITE INTERNET CONNECTIONS AS WELL AS SATELLITE TELEVISIONS
- MOST SATELLITE COMMUNICATION TAKES PLACE IN THE MICROWAVE PORTION OF THE
ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM. SIGNALS AT THESE WAVELENGTHS ARE AFFECTED BY HEAVY
CONCENTRATIONS OF WATER DROPLETS OR ICE CRYSTALS IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
- THE SHORTER THE WAVELENGTH, THE HIGHER THE FREQUENCY (CRANE)
 NATURES OF PRECIPITATION (DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION AND
CONDITION)
1. OROGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION
– PRODUCED WHEN MOIST AIR IS
LIFTED AS IT MOVES OVER A HIGH
GROUND (MOUNTAIN RANGE)
2. CONVECTIONAL PRECIPITATION
– OCCURS DURING HOT SUMMER DAYS WHEN, IN THE AFTERNOON, THERE IS CLOUD
BUILD UP DUE TO THE CONVECTION OF HOT HUMID AIR.
3. CYCLONIC PRECIPITATION
– IS DUE TO SYNOPTIC FEATURES SUCH AS DEPRESSIONS AND FRONTS.
– IT IS FORMED WHEN TWO MASSES OF AIR OF DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE,
HUMIDITY, AND DENSITY MEET.
– THESE INTENSE STRATIFIED RAINFALL MAY OCCUR FOR SEVERAL HOURS A DAY AND
OVER A LARGE SURFACE AREA.
 EFFECTS OF RAINDROPS ON RF
• REFRACTION
-IS WHEN THE RADIO WAVE BEHAVES LIKE LIGHT AND GETS REFRACTED THROUGH AN
OPTICAL FILTER OR PRISM
- EACH FREQUENCY REFRACTS WITH A DIFFERENT ANGLE
- IN THE DUPLEX NATURE OF MICROWAVE TRANSMISSION, THE FADING MAY ONLY
OCCUR IN ONE WAY
• SCATTERING OR DIFFUSION
– THE SHEET OF RAIN ACTS LIKE A DIFFUSION FILTER, CAUSING THE NORMALLY PENCIL BEAM
(NARROW MAIN LOBE) TO ENLARGE AT THE POINT WHERE RAIN EXISTS.
• REPROPAGATION
– WHEN THE WAVELENGTH IS MUCH SMALLER THAN THE RAINDROP AND
GRAVITATION CAUSES THE FALLING RAINDROP TO DISTORT INTO AN OVAL SHAPE,
EACH DROP WOULD THEN ACT LIKE A TINY DIPOLE, RECEIVING THE RADIO WAVE AND
RADIATING IT ISOTROPICALLY. THIS ALSO CAUSES THE DROP TO HEAT UP.
 RAIN LOSSES
• THE EFFECTS OF RAIN ON A MICROWAVE LENGTH CAN BE RELATED IN SEVERAL WAYS.

1. RAIN TENDS TO SHORTEN THE EFFECTIVE PATH LENGTH.

𝑑
Ψ= 𝑑
1+
35∗𝑒−0.015𝑅
WHERE:
Ψ − EFFECTIVE PATH LENGTH, KMS
𝑑 − ACTUAL PATH LENGTH, KMS
R − RAINFALL RATE, MM/H (TAKEN FROM TABLES)
*R IS RELATED TO THE 2 MAJOR PROPERTIES OF A RAINDROP: THE SIZE AND TERMINAL VELOCITY.
2. THE EFFECTS OF RAIN MAY BE COMPUTED AS A FACTOR OF ATTENUATION.

𝑌𝑟 = 𝑘 𝑥 𝑅Ɑ , 𝑑𝐵/𝑘𝑚
*THE VALUE OF K AND Ɑ DEPEND ON THE FREQUENCY AND POLARIZATION OF THE
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE.
*R. K. CRANE – DEVELOPED A SYSTEM FOR MODELING AND DETERMINING THE ATTENUATION
DUE TO RAIN BASED ON SEVERAL FACTORS, INCLUDING PATH LENGTH, FREQUENCY, AND POINT
RAIN RATES.
Table 1
Frequency Ghz kH kV ɑV ɑH
1 0.0000387 0.0000352 0.912 0.880
2 0.0001540 0.0001380 0.963 0.923
4 0.0006500 0.0005910 0.121 1.075
6 0.0017500 0.0015500 1.308 1.265
7 0.0030100 0.0026500 1.332 1.312
8 0.0045400 0.0039500 1.327 1.310
10 0.0101000 0.0088700 1.276 1.264
12 0.0188000 0.0168000 1.217 1.200
15 0.0367000 0.0335000 1.154 1.128
20 0.0751 0.0691 1.099 1.065
25 0.124 0.113 1.061 1.030
30 0.187 0.167 1.021 1.000
35 0.263 0.233 0.979 0.963
40 0.350 0.310 0.939 0.929
Table 2
 EXAMPLE

• FIND THE RAINFALL RATE THAT WILL ONLY BE EXCEEDED 0.001% OF THE TIME FOR AN X-BAND
(10 GHZ) TERMINAL OPERATING IN THE PHILIPPINES IF AN AVAILABILITY OF 99.9% IS REQUIRED
USING HORIZONTAL POLARIZATION.
*IF CIRCULAR POLARIZATION IS TO BE USED THEN CALCULATE THE AVERAGE VALUE OF YR FOR
VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL POLARIZATION.
METHOD 1: 𝑌𝑟 = 𝑘 𝑥 𝑅Ɑ = (0.0101000) (180)^1.276
= 7.622 DB/KM