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U.S. reference implementation of Recommendation ITU-R P.528 providing propagation path loss predictions for aeronautical mobile and radionavigation services using the VHF, UHF, and SHF bands

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Recommendation ITU-R P.528-5 - U.S. Reference Implementation

Persistent Identifier: DOI

This code repository contains the U.S. Reference Software Implementation of Recommendation ITU-R P.528. This Recommendation contains a method for predicting basic transmission loss in the frequency range 100-30 000 MHz for aeronautical services. The software implements Annex 2 of Rec P.528, the Step-by-Step method to computing propagation loss for air-to-ground paths.

Companion software (p528-gui) provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that can be used with this software implementation.

Inputs

Variable Type Units Limits Description
d__km double km 0 <= d__km Great circle path distance between terminals
h_1__meter double meter 1.5 <= h_1__meter <= 20 000 Height of the low terminal
h_2__meter double meter 1.5 <= h_2__meter <= 20 000 Height of the high terminal
f__mhz double MHz 100 <= f__mhz <= 30 000 Frequency
T_pol int Polarization
  • 0 = Horizontal
  • 1 = Vertical
time double 1 <= time <= 99 Time percentage

Outputs

Outputs to P.528 are contained within a defined Results structure.

Variable Type Units Description
d__km double km Great circle path distance. Could be slightly different than specified in input variable if within LOS region
A__db double dB Basic transmission loss
A_fs__db double dB Free space basic transmission loss
A_a__db double dB Median atmospheric absorption loss
theta_h1__rad double rad Elevation angle of the ray at the low terminal
propagation_mode int Mode of propagation
  • 1 = Line of Sight
  • 2 = Diffraction
  • 3 = Troposcatter
warnings int Warning flags

Error Codes and Warning Flags

P.528 supports a defined list of error codes and warning flags. A complete list can be found here.

Example Values

The below table includes a select set of example inputs and outputs for testing purposes. The P.528 CSV data files contain an extensive set of validation example values.

d__km h_1__meter h_2__meter f__mhz T_pol time A__db
15 10 1 000 500 0 50 110.0
100 100 15 000 3 600 0 90 151.6
1 500 15 10 000 5 700 0 10 293.4
30 8 20 000 22 000 1 50 151.1

Notes on Code Style

  • In general, variables follow the naming convention in which a single underscore denotes a subscript (pseudo-LaTeX format), where a double underscore is followed by the units, i.e. h_1__meter.
  • Variables are named to match their corresponding mathematical variables in the underlying Recommendation text.
  • Wherever possible, equation numbers are provided. It is assumed that a user reviewing this source code would have a copy of the Recommendation's text available as a primary reference.

Configure and Build

C++ Software

The software is designed to be built into a DLL (or corresponding library for non-Windows systems). The source code can be built for any OS that supports the standard C++ libraries. A Visual Studio 2019 project file is provided for Windows users to support the build process and configuration.

C#/.NET Wrapper Software

The .NET support of P.528 consists of a simple pass-through wrapper around the native DLL. It is compiled to target .NET Framework 4.8. Distribution and updates are provided through the published NuGet package.

References

Contact

For questions, contact Billy Kozma, wkozma@ntia.gov

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U.S. reference implementation of Recommendation ITU-R P.528 providing propagation path loss predictions for aeronautical mobile and radionavigation services using the VHF, UHF, and SHF bands

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