Modelling Vegetation Effects on RF Propagation

This paper presents preliminary results of a progressive research work investigating effects of vegetation on RF propagation. A theoretical model is developed to predict signal loss due to vegetation. The model considers path segments of different vegetation densities where the density measurements are available from satellite data. Signal loss over the entire propagation path is calculated by predicting and combining losses over individual segments. The model predicts vegetation loss factor (VLF) over each segment and then calculates the overall VLF of a path traversing multiple segments. The model has been validated against field data. Further modification of the model to include the effects of other environmental factors and different signal frequencies is under way.