ADTRAN 6000 Series Terrain Terrain Factor Description, Climate Climate Factor Description

Section 2 Microwave Path Engineering Basics TRACER 6000 Series Integrated System Manual

where the parameters are

aterrain factor

bclimate factor

fcarrier frequency (GHz)

d path length (kilometers)

F fade margin (dB)

Terrain Factor (a)

The terrain factor is a quantity that compensates the link availability for different types of terrain. Generally speaking, the smoother an area’s terrain, the less availability a wireless link running over that terrain will have, primarily due to multipath reflections. In contrast, secondary microwave signals will be randomly dispersed over rough terrain and will not interfere with the main signal lobe as badly as in the smooth terrain case. The terrain factor values normally used are listed below:

Terrain	Terrain Factor	Description
Smooth	4	water, flat desert
Average	1	moderate roughness
Mountainous	1/4	very rough, mountainous

Climate Factor (b)

The climate factor is a quantity that compensates the link availability for different types of climates (weather). In general, microwave links operating in areas with high humidity will have less availability than those in arid areas, primarily because water is a dispersive mechanism to microwave energy and causes the main signal lobe to refract and disperse away from the receiver location. The climate factor values normally used are listed below:

Climate	Climate Factor	Description
Very Dry	1/8	desert regions
Temperate	1/4	mainland, interior region
Humid	1/2	humid and coastal regions

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