Multipath measurements over troposcatter paths

In support of a program to develop a new family of digital troposcatter radio terminals for tactical application, The MITRE Corporation and Rome Air Development Center jointly conducted an extended series of multipath measurements over two troposcatter paths of 86 and 168 miles at 4.7 GHz. The results of these tests include long-term statistics for and correlation among RMS multipath spread, path loss, fade rate, surface refractivity, and effective earth radius. The data obtained on these parameters is currently being used in the evaluation of various high-speed digital modulation/detection techniques and in the specification of radio terminal performance. This paper describes the test program, reports test results, and discusses related test programs, troposcatter multipath prediction, and the impact of dispersion on digital communication.