Fm channel model development and its emulator

Abstract

With the widespread availability of Internet, voice only broadcast in the FM Band will soon be abandoned as Internet Radio can provide the same content with no boundaries. The available band can then be exploited for bi-directional wireless services. However, before we can realize this transformation, it is crucial to lay down the channel characteristics of the FM Band to better anticipate its affect on new wireless services. As a starting point, in this study we develop a FM Band channel model for dense Hilly Terrain Regions (HTRs) by the concept of directional channel modelling. The proposed model is verified by exploiting existing channel measurements for the bands near the FM Band and simulations via ray tracing by Wireless Insite tool. Finally, a hardware implementation, capable of emulating the different wireless channel clusters for the FM Band, is introduced. The analysis, simulations, and measurements through the emulator show that the FM Band channel model proposed can indeed represent a typical FM Band channel. Thus, the performance of future wireless systems in the FM Band can be better assessed.