Tactical Line-of-Sight Radio Propagation Reliability
Abstract
Recent deployment to Southwest Asia (SWA) of tactical Line-of-Sight (LOS) radio links, such as those used with Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) and other Tri-Service Tactical Communications (TRI-TAC) systems, and user feedback indicating time-varying performance have raised the question of link reliability. The climate encountered in SWA (desert terrain in proximity to bodies of water) is known to be very difficult for LOS radio because it causes frequent and large reductions in received signal strength, referred to as time- varying fading. This report provides predictions of propagation performance for the systems fielded based on the latest technical literature and validates them with current information collected from system users. The conditions that cause time-variant fades on LOS paths are also addressed. Particular focus will be directed at the tactical environment and the unique challenge that exists to achieve highly reliable links with the limited antenna gains and terrain clearances present in the tactical world. This report also addresses future work that should be accomplished to ensure that LOS operators and planners have the latest data available to optimize the effectiveness of their current LOS capability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA256324
Entities
People
- Joseph R. Inserra
- Kenneth D. Chaney
- Kenneth H. Brockel
- Robert J. Locher
- William T. Barnett
Organizations
- United States Army Communications-Electronics Command