On the interpretation of scintillations of geostationary satellite signals in middle latitudes

A technique is proposed for determining the parameters of a selected inhomogeneity model by using the phase-screen method to evaluate measurements of geostationary-satellite signal scintillations. The method is based on measurements of scintillations at three points which form the apexes of a right triangle, one side of which is perpendicular to the direction of propagation and a second is parallel to the projection of the triangle on the earth's surface. The formulas of the phase-screen method are presented, and a numerical model illustrating the technique is provided. It is shown that the shape and height of occurrence of the inhomogeneities responsible for the signal scintillation and which correspond to the selected model can be determined by comparing the measured Briggs scintillation index, rms phase deviation, ratio of diffraction-ellipse axes, and orientation of those axes with the values calculated for the model.