Measurement of Ku-band rain attenuation using several VSATs in Kyushu Island, Japan

Rain attenuation at three different locations about 100 km from each other within Kyushu Island, Japan, are simultaneously measured in the Ku-band by utilizing JCSAT-1B communication satellite and several very small aperture terminals (VSATs). Two points are highlighted. The first one is the relation between rain attenuation and rain intensity. The relation is shown at uplink, downlink, and total link paths and is compared with the estimated International Telecommunication Union Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R). The second one is the rain attenuation distribution for a small percentage of time for a year for the total link path. These experimental results suggest the necessitity of detailed study on rain attenuation at local points and of presentation of a method for predicting bit errors, when using effectively Ka-band satellite systems with multispot beams.