Analysis of multipath fading observations on certain microwave paths in British Columbia

Multipath fading statistics for 12 microwave links are discussed. Analysis shows that the Morita parameters, of the CCIR formula are most appropriate for British Columbia. The Extended Barnett parameters are more conservative and the Barnett parameters are over conservative. The most active fading period for multipath fading is July to October and the yearly to worst month fading ratio is 2.0 for most links. The peak of the diurnal multipath fading for links over, and along, a body of water is in the afternoon and at sunset. For plateau (or flat terrain), frequent fadings occur around sunrise. For most mountain links, there is no general pattern. The dominant multipath mechanisms are: sea breeze, offshore streaming and advection of nocturnally-cooled air for coastal links; radiation inversion for plateau links; and trapped radiation fog in the valleys associated with upper, clear air for mountain links.