Alphasat Ka-Band and Q-Band Receiving Station in Rome: Measurements and Data Analysis

The Alphasat TDP#5 experiment, dedicated to Prof. Aldo Paraboni, is an Italian Space Agency (ASI) science experiment to investigate radio propagation channel in the Ka and Q bands. Sapienza University of Rome, in collaboration with the Higher Institute of Communications and Information Technology (ISCTI) and the Ugo Bordoni Foundation (FUB), has joined the experiment with two receivers, one for each frequency, installed at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy (MIMIT) in Rome. In this paper, we present a methodology for the retrieval of the excess attenuation and tropospheric scintillation from the Alphasat received beacon signal at Ka and Q band. Scintillation amplitude results in clearair condition acquired over three months are compared with the ITU-R model. Experiment characteristics and data processing details are also presented.