Radio wave loss deviation and shadow loss at 900 MHz

Abstract

Radio wave propagation between base and mobile stations is normally described as being Rayleigh distributed due to multipath radio wave combining. When the number of radio wave paths are limited the variation in received signal amplitude frequently follows a more general case given by a Weibull distribution. A significant portion of the Weibull distribution is defined as the transmission loss deviation. Other definitions have been included with the object of standardizing methods of measuring and reporting propagation data. Data will be presented showing loss deviation between 3 and 30 dB. Shadow loss over hills and around buildings are usually assumed to be knife-edge or rounded knife-edge. Shadow loss based on these assumptions is generally found to be less than the true measured value. Data will be presented comparing calculated shadow loss with measured value.