RF Propagation Measurement and Model Validation during RF/IR Synergy Trial VAMPIRA

The member nations of AC/323 SET-RTG056/RTG32 on Integration of Radar and Infrared for Ship Self Defence have performed the Validation Measurements for Propagation in the Infrared and Radar (VAMPIRA). The objective was to get insight into the radar and infrared synergy concentrated on propagation in a coastal environment including horizontal inhomogeneity and to validate radar and infrared propagation models. The trial was held in the period 25 March-5 April 2004 near Surendorf Germany. As part of the trial TNO made RF 1-way transmission measurements, 24 hours/day during the whole trial period. The transmission path over the Eckernförder Bucht in Northern Germany had a length of 8.2 km. The transmitted signal was a sweep consisting of 6 frequencies i.e. 3.36, 5.32, 8.015, 9.7, 13.45, and 15.71 GHz. The transmitter height was 11.5 m, the receiver height 6.4 m above ‘normal null’. At each end of the path a meteorological station was installed measuring every 30s the air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, wind speed and wind direction. About halfway the path the TNO meteo buoy was anchored measuring air temperature and relative humidity at 5 heights between 0.65 and 5.15m above the sea surface. Also the sea water temperature was measured by the buoy on a depth of 1m below the sea surface. The effects of evaporation ducting at the propagation at the various frequencies were clearly demonstrated. Some times very deep fadings were present at 13.45 and 15.71 GHz where at the same time almost no effect at 3.36 and 5.32 GHz was observed. The measured propagation at 15.71 GHz was more enhanced than at 13.45 GHz due to the ducting conditions and the elevation angle of the transmitter and receiver antenna. In several sample cases the 1-way propagation factors are computed for every 5 minutes using the propagation model TERPEM (Signal Science) and the vertical refractivity profiles computed by the TNO model TARMOS. The 1- way computed propagation factors compared very well to the measured data at all frequencies, although the computed fadings were not always as deep as the measured ones. A first promising result has been obtained computing the observed height of the RF source under various atmospheric conditions using the transmission phases computed by TERPEM