Back to results

Virginia Tech

Small scale antenna diversity as a means of reducing the effects of multipath fading for handheld satellite communications systems

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This document discusses the measurements conducted at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA, and at COMSAT Labs, in Clarksburg MD, to determine the impact of multipath fading upon a circularly polarized L-Band satellite-to-handheld communications system using an omni-directional antenna. A significant finding was that motion of the satellite could induce fades of up to lOdB, well in excess of the small link margins available to satellite-to-handheld systems (typically ≤ 3dB). A method for ameliorating multi path fading was then sought. It was also found that the multipath fading effect was significantly different at as small a distance as half a wavelength from the original antenna position. Multipath signals could actually combine at the new position to form a small increase in signal to noise ratio (S/N), rather than a fade of as much as 16dB. Therefore it was determined that a small-scale antenna diversity system might offer a solution to the problem of multipath fading.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Electrical Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Electrical Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1995

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Allnutt, Richard Mallory
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Pratt, Timothy J.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Stutzman, Warren L.
  • Bostian, Charles W.
  • Brown, Gary S.
  • Kohler, Werner E.

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-10202005-102841
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/40049

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Allnutt, Richard Mallory. Small scale antenna diversity as a means of reducing the effects of multipath fading for handheld satellite communications systems. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/40049