Measurements to Support Modulated-Signal Radio Transmissions for the Public-Safety Sector

Published

April 1, 2008

Author(s)

Catherine A. Remley, Galen H. Koepke, Christopher L. Holloway, Chriss A. Grosvenor, Dennis G. Camell, John M. Ladbury, Robert Johnk, David R. Novotny, William F. Young, George Hough, Michael McKinley, Yann Becquet, John Korsnes

Abstract

We report on measurements of parameters utilized for characterization of broadband wireless technologies proposed for use by emergency responders (firefighters, police, and emergency medical personnel) and other public-safety personnel. We designed a collection of experiments in various large structures in an effort to quantify radio-signal attenuation, the level of multipath, and the amount of frequency-selective distortion. We also monitored the distortion introduced into digitally modulated signals under the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access protocol. This report summarizes the experiments, performed in four large building structures. We describe the experiments and the measurement systems, and then show primary results of the data we collected in each of the four structures. Finally, we discuss some of the interesting propagation effects we observed and discuss how they may be classified into different propagation channel types. In the appendices, the complete sets of measured data are presented.

Citation

Technical Note (NIST TN) - 1546

Report Number

1546

NIST Pub Series

Technical Note (NIST TN)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

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Keywords

attenuation, broadband radio communications, building penetration, digital modulation, emergency responders, error vector magnitude, excess path loss, received power, time-delay spread, wireless signals, wireless system measurements, wireless telecommunications, ultrawideband signals, vector network analyzer, vector signal analyzer

Citation

Remley, C. , Koepke, G. , Holloway, C. , Grosvenor, C. , Camell, D. , Ladbury, J. , Johnk, R. , Novotny, D. , Young, W. , Hough, G. , McKinley, M. , Becquet, Y. and Korsnes, J. (2008), Measurements to Support Modulated-Signal Radio Transmissions for the Public-Safety Sector, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=33000 (Accessed October 10, 2025)