COMSTAR experiment: The 19-GHz receiving system for an interim COMSTAR beacon propagation experiment at crawford hill

This paper describes the antenna and receiving electronics for the Bell Laboratories Crawford Hill 19-GHz COMSTAR Interim Experiment. This experiment has collected essentially continuous 19-GHz attenuation data on the earth-space path to the COMSTAR A satellite since May 25, 1976. The receiver operates unattended, automatically reacquiring the beacon signals after deep rain-induced signal fades. A receiver bandwidth of 10 Hz allows accurate measurement of fade depth to the 40-dB level.