The method currently recommended by the ITU-R for the prediction of rain attenuation in terrestrial line-of sight links considers an equivalent path length over which the rain intensity is assumed to be constant. In other methods, the spatial and temporal variations of the rainfall rate along the path are characterized by an effective rainfall rate that is dependent on the actual path length. Based on experimental measurements, this paper presents a modified effective rainfall rate method that includes the prevailing wind direction during rainy conditions as an additional parameter for the prediction of rain attenuation. The wind direction, which can be obtained from meteorological databases with global coverage, is shown to significantly improve prediction accuracy.
Rain attenuation; radio propagation; propagation measurements
