A Method to Transform Rainfall Rate to Rain Attenuation and Its Application to 21 GHz Band Satellite Broadcasting

Satellite broadcasting in the 21-GHz band is expected to transmit large-capacity signals such as ultrahigh-definition TV. However, this band suffers from large amounts of rain attenuation. In this regard, we have been studying rain fading mitigation techniques, in which the radiation power is increased locally in the area of heavy rainfall. To design such a satellite broadcasting system, it is necessary to evaluate service availability when using the locally increased beam technique. The rain attenuation data should be derived from the rainfall rate data. We developed a method to transform rainfall rate into rain attenuation in the 21GHz band. Then, we performed a simulation that applied the method to the analysis of the service availability for an example phased array antenna configuration. The results confirmed the service availability increased with the locally increased beam technique.