A COMPARISON OF CIRCULAR POLARIZATION WITH DUAL POLARIZATION DIVERSITY IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPATH

Abstract

A major factor in the performance of a Telemetry System over the sea is the effect of multipath. The reflected signal from the surface of the sea may, in general, add to or subtract from the direct signal, and may therefore lead to severe fading and possible loss of useful signal. The multipath is a function of the sea state and the polarization of the signal. In order to reduce the effect of multipath on performance, a dual polarization diversity system is being built for the Airborne Telemetry Relay System for the Gulf Range. An analysis of the performance of the dual polarization diversity system in the presence of multipath for different sea states, different reflection angles, and different initial polarization angles is presented. For comparison, a similar analysis is presented for a circular polarization receiving antenna system.