Case Study Analysis of DTV Signal Reception Near Large Water Surface

Today many different propagation models predict the coverage area of digital television (DTV) services providing various level of precision on case-by-case manner. These models tend to be very inaccurate in situations that are not nominal to the appropriate propagation model definition. The general aim of this paper is to investigate the possible problems related to the near-large-water-surface DTV reception and its prediction. The work involves a case study radio spectrum measurements and signals calculation utilizing existing propagation models. In particular, the paper provides a numerical comparison of calculated and measured TV signal levels for several points near the Dojran Lake on both sides of the Macedonian-Greek border. The values reveal significant dependence between the receiving signal strength and the antenna height, as well as its micro-location, which prove that such locations represent a big challenge for coverage area prediction and control.