A Combined ITM and LITU-R Model for Enhanced Radio Coverage Predictions of Mission-Critical Communications in Mountainous Vegetated Terrains

This letter presents a combined model for appropriate radio coverage of mission-critical push-to-talk communications in mountainous vegetated terrains. The proposed model uses the irregular terrain model (ITM) with the detailed information of the ground topography to predict the excess loss caused by the terrain irregularities, along with the Lateral International Telecommunications Union of Radio model, to account for the excess loss caused by the presence of vegetation in the radio path. The performance of the proposed combined model was assessed against experimental results obtained from a measurement campaign conducted along unpaved paths and trails, usually taken by firefighters during firefighting procedures, in mountainous terrains with dense vegetation. The acquired experimental data was assessed against experimental results obtained from a measurement campaign conducted along unpaved paths and trails.