| A photogrammetric satellite service prediction method that can effectively be used to predict signal fading in satellite-earth propagation channel has been developed. A propagation channel simulator has also been developed. As an additional product of this research, a simulated time-domain received signal can be generated based on photographic images taken by a upper hemisphere fisheye lens camera, three-state statistical modeling and specified characteristics of the receiving system and location. Good matches of the fading statistics in several typical environments strengthen the photogrammetric satellite service prediction method. The method shows promise to be a good prediction of system performance in various mobile user environments for satellite personal communication services (S-PCS).;A smart antenna system has been developed and used to conduct propagation studies in wireless communication. For exploiting spatial diversity in the satellite-earth propagation channel, a smart antenna system has been shown to mitigate the multipath fading and significantly increase the capacity for power regulation. With a 4-element antenna array mounted on a vehicle, the user can locate the satellite, know where the direction of specular reflections, and obtain significantly more power. The results also provide the potential of exploiting the spatial diversity obtained from an antenna arrays to improve the power control schemes in Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite PCS.;Employing an antenna array, the photogrammetric satellite service method can provide more capability in propagation channel simulation and stimulate further interesting research topics for satellite-earth propagation studies. |
