Dynamic characteristics of fading on a 50 GHz slant path

The dynamic characteristics of fading due to atmospheric propagation are of interest for the optimization of the link quality and availability of satellite systems and high altitude platform systems working in Ka and V band. More effort is needed in fade dynamics characterization in a wide range of climates, especially in high frequencies, where few measurements and studies are available nowadays. A study has been performed in the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain, to analyze fade dynamic characteristics using one year of experimental measurements on a 50 GHz slant path. Statistics of fade duration, interfade duration and fade slope are presented and analyzed. In general, the ITU-R model of fade dynamics, which includes the estimation of both fade duration and fade slope, provides acceptable results.