The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) of Japan has performed communications propagation measurements between the Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite (WINDS, also known as “KIZUNA”) and a moving vehicle earth station. With a focus on the future occurrences of a Nankai Trough earthquake and an associated giant tsunami, regions with a higher disaster risk have been selected for extensive study. Shadowing has been shown to have a large impact on satellite communications due to the use of a directional Ka-band antenna with high rectilinearity. The influence of shadowing is dependent on the seasons, as the conditions of the leaves vary by season for different types of trees. Therefore, in a previous study, we measured the attenuation of a received signal from the satellite throughout the year with shadowing from several types of trees to examine seasonal differences. The results of our year-long investigation revealed seasonal fluctuations in the received power beneath deciduous trees but no such variations beneath evergreen trees. In this chapter, we present the results of the measured user datagram protocol (UDP) throughput for Ka-band satellite communication.

Chapter Contents:

• 38.1 Introduction
• 38.2 Summary of WINDS and the WINDS vehicle earth station
• 38.2.1 WINDS
• 38.2.2 WINDS vehicle earth station
• 38.3 Measurement experiments
• 38.3.1 Experimental site
• 38.3.2 Measurement system and experimental method
• 38.4 Results and discussion
• 38.5 Conclusion
• References

Inspec keywords: artificial satellites; emergency services; disasters; mobile satellite communication; vegetation; tsunami; electromagnetic wave attenuation; transport protocols; satellite antennas; internetworking

Other keywords: satellite communications; higher disaster risk; seasonal vegetation changes; communications propagation measurements; associated giant tsunami; data transmission; Nankai Trough earthquake; moving vehicle earth station; seasonal fluctuations; future occurrences; deciduous trees; Ka-band mobile satellite communication; directional Ka-band antenna; measured user datagram protocol throughput; seasonal differences; evergreen trees; Ka-band satellite communication

Subjects: Mobile radio systems; Instrumentation and techniques for geophysical, hydrospheric and lower atmosphere research; Single antennas; Satellite communication systems; Protocols