Properties of the forward-scattered incoherent radiation through intense precipitation

Consideration is given to the first-order scattering processes responsible for signal fluctuations and distortions below 100 GHz in radio paths of several kilometers, such as in satellite links. The elementary contributions are shown to be statistically independent and to have zero average. Wideband slow variations of amplitude and phase are shown to result from variations in the actual number and size of the scatterers in the neighborhood of the antenna. Amplitude and phase distortions result from the phase delays occurring when the scatterers are far from the antenna. Both the two-frequency correlation function and the distortions are found to be independent of antenna directivity and the distance of the scattering region along the path.