Propagation prediction and measurement in vegetated moderately built-up areas

This paper discusses a propagation prediction model that takes into account the influence of vegetation in a built-up area. The proposed propagation prediction model combines the tree scattering model from Foldy-Lax and the theoretical model of UHF propagation from the COST-231 Walfisch-Ikegami model in order to derive a propagation model that works beyond 2 GHz in a vegetated built-up area. In a vegetated residential environment, the transmitting antenna is elevated above average rooftop height, therefore propagation takes place via multiple screen diffraction over the rooftops as pictured in the COST-231 Walfisch-Ikegami model. The discrete scattering theory from Foldy-Lax is particularly useful to explain the scattering mechanism for carrier wavelengths that are comparable to the sizes of leaves and branches in the tree canopies. The introduction of tree scattering into the multiple screen diffraction and the rooftop-to-street diffraction component, respectively, allows the propagation loss in vegetated built-up areas to be determined. The proposed model is verified with a measurement at 2300 MHz conducted in the moderately built-up area of Lichtenau, Germany.