Assessment of the Dominant Path Model and Field Measurements for NLOS DTV Signal Propagation

In Brazil, one of the most important telecommunications systems is broadcast television. Such relevance demands an extensive analysis to be performed chasing technical excellence in order to offer a better digital transmission to the user. Therefore, it is mandatory to evaluate the quality and strength of the Digital TV signal, through studies of coverage predictions models, allowing stations to be projected in a way that their respective signals are harmoniously distributed. The purpose of this study is to appraise measurements of digital television signal obtained in the field and to compare them with numerical results from the simulation of the Dominant Path Model. The outcomes indicate possible blocking zones and a low accumulated probability index above the reception threshold, as well as characterise the gain level of the receiving antenna, which would prevent signal blocking. (paper)