Spatio-temporal channel measurements at 1800 MHz for adaptive antennas

To get acquainted with the space-, and time-characteristics of the radio channel, wideband spatio-temporal channel measurements have been carried out. The spatial information can be used for optimisation of adaptive antenna systems, estimation of the behaviour of space diversity arrangements or as input to channel models or simulations. The measurements were conducted in dense urban/suburban environments with the antennas arranged to resemble a typical cellular phone scenario. The angular sensitivity of the measurement system is restricted to azimuth. Impulse responses (IRs) were collected by each sensor of an eight-column dual polarised antenna array. As a first approach the Fourier method is applied at different time delays of the impulse responses to derive the azimuth-delay spectrum. In this paper, emphasis is laid on the azimuth spread, delay spread and fading characteristics of the two environments with adaptive antennas in mind. The results are applicable to cellular mobile radio systems, especially the W-CDMA mode of UMTS.