Link Results for Upper Ka-Band Data Link over Sea Water at Low Look Angles

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed a line-of-sight (LOS) communications link that operates at upper Ka-band and has been demonstrated to provide connectivity at low power and long ranges (in excess of 100 nmi) and high data rates (up to 720 Mbps). This system, entitled the Tactical Reach back Extended Communications (TREC) system, was tested on two occasions with links extending over the Chesapeake Bay to determine if multipath induced from a sea water surface would detrimentally affect performance at particularly low elevation angles. It was found that no discernable multipath was observed, but in the spring testing, environmental conditions resulted in links extending beyond line of sight.