Rainfall retrieval using commercial microwave links: Effect of sampling strategy on retrieval accuracy

•The first validation study of using commercial microwave links for rainfall retrieval in the Australian continent.•The parameters of an open-source algorithm named RAINLINK were calibrated using the new Melbourne dataset.•Rainfall retrieval based on two commonly adopted sampling strategies were compared.•The overall analysis showed that 15-minute minimum and maximum sampling strategy outperformed 15-minute average sampling strategy.