A ConductingߚSlab Model for Electromagnetic Propagation Within A Jungle Medium

A theoretical determination of the path loss in radio propagation through jungle is obtained by considering the jungle as a homogeneous conducting dielectric slab on a flat earth. An exact integral is obtained for the vertical component of the electric field within the jungle due to a vertical electric dipole within the jungle. An analytic evaluation of the integral leads to an approximate expression for the field and an estimate of the error. When this accuracy is insufficient, a numerical evaluation of the integral is performed. The combination of analytic and numerical techniques leads to the evaluation of the electric field and thereby path loss to any accuracy desired. Experimental measurements of path loss in a Thailand jungle are compared with the calculations. The results agree within a standard deviation of 6 dB when the jungle conductivity is taken as 0.15 mmho/m.