Wideband 3D characterization of mobile radio channels in urban environment

This paper describes three-dimensional (3D) radio channel measurements at the base station site in an urban environment. We introduce a measurement concept which combines an RF switched receiver array and a synthetic aperture technique and allows full 3D characterization of the channel. Additionally, dual-polarized patch antennas as array elements enable full determination of the polarization properties of the impinging signals. We describe measurements at over 70 different transmitter positions and three receiver array sites with different sectors and antenna heights. Our results show that the received energy is concentrated within identifiable clusters in the azimuth-elevation-delay domain. We demonstrate that the observed propagation mechanisms are mainly determined by the environment close to the base station. Street canyon propagation dominates also when the receiver array is at or even above rooftop level with the studied measurement distances. Thus, the azimuth spectrum at the BS site is fairly independent of the location of the mobile. Signal components propagating over the rooftop are often related to reflections from high-rise buildings in the surroundings.