Pathloss and Coverage Analysis of FM Signals for Terrestrial Communication Design over Akure, Nigeria

Ayodeji G. Ashidi

doi:10.37591/jomet.v10i2.7734

Abstract

Accurate analysis of Free Space Loss (FSL) of electromagnetic radiations plays significant roles in the design and planning of terrestrial communication system at radio wave and microwave frequencies. Hence, it remains important to continuously evaluate the dependence of radio waves signal strength on the properties of the propagating medium. This work employed drive test technique and free space loss analysis of some Frequency-Modulated (FM) channels in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, to develop a location-specific pathloss model and characterize signal strength coverage statistics. Signal strength variation of four (4) FM-radio stations across three (3) selected paths that connect different axes of the State was conducted. DBC BC 1173, a digital signal meter was used to measure the signal strength (RSS). The measurement of signals was conducted from both high-powered and low-powered radio transmitters. Similarly, path elevation and geographical coordinate of each measurement point on each route was obtained through Garmin GPS 72 Personal Navigator. A location-specific pathloss-computation model that is unique to the study environment was developed for each of the FM-radio stations, and a comparative analysis of their performance was conducted against selected existing pathloss models. The Least value of coefficient of determination, R2, obtained equals 0.86, which indicates a fairly strong reliability of the developed models.

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