Modeling the Clutter Loss in Slant Paths

In this article, we present our work toward the development of a clutter loss model for slant paths. This loss must be added to that due to free space to work out the overall signal decay between a transmitter on the ground and an elevated receiver: satellite, airborne platform, autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV), etc., and vice versa. The calculation of this parameter is relevant in interference studies, especially at this point where there is a significant demand for spectrum, and there is the need to share bands between different applications and services. We propose here a physical-statistical approach which is elevation-dependent while it encompasses all possible azimuths. It smoothly covers a wide range of frequencies from the low UHF to millimeter waves. The modeling is mainly oriented toward interference calculations. This article presents material we have contributed to ITU-R efforts for developing an improved recommendation (ITU-R Rec. P.2108) on clutter loss modeling.