Rain Induced Attenuation Prediction in the Ku Band of Nigerian Communication Satellite over Abuja Earth Station

Atmospheric propagation faces signal degradation in satellite communication services operating in frequencies of Ku-band, Ka-band and above. This effect is caused by rain, storms, and other unfavorable atmospheric conditions that bring about losses along the entire link path from space to earth. This study examined the impact of rain and predicts its induced attenuation on broadband satellite links in Abuja Nigeria. The point rainfall data was collected for a period of four years, and 1-min rainfall rate extracted. Annual rainfall rate was quantified to fall within 120mm/h and the effect of rain on broadband satellite link operating on Ku band frequency was evaluated to an average induced attenuation of17 dB.