Planned and early results of low elevation angle measurements at Ka-band from two projects in Norway

Geostationary satellite fixed communication services for high latitude and mostly maritime environment are increasingly important for Norway and the regions in the high north in general. Although measurement results have been reported from several earlier experiments there is still a lack of satisfactory knowledge, particularly at Ka-band, both with respect to attenuation due to hydrometeor precipitation and to clear air scintillation and ducting effects. New measurement experiments are being and have been set up to collect more data. This report presents two initiatives: the ESA project on Ka-band radio characterization for SatCom services in arctic and high latitude regions and early results from another project run by FFI and the Norwegian Defence. The two projects will in total take measurements from 7 locations. The measurement stations’ latitudes range from 57° to 78° N and cover both a maritime and in-land climates. The projects will run until the end of 2015.