Propagation modeling of wireless systems on shipboard external decks

Abstract

Many onboard ship operations demand full radio coverage over the entire ship, not only indoor, but also from the interior spaces to the other decks. Onboard a ship, specifically in the upper decks, radio wave propagation is subjected to fading that would impede the quality and reliability of data links and communication. One example is the performance of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data and communications links. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze, model, and simulate some communication scenarios that occur on naval ships using Urbana. Starting from known inputs (frequency, ship compartment geometry, material properties, propagation computation model, and antenna type), analytical results reflecting the propagation mechanisms and coverage area are presented. Variable inputs can then be optimized to achieve a desired signal distribution for a specific shipboard environment. The ship models were created by Rhino, a well-known Windows-based computer drawing software. The values of the signals received on the different points in the main deck are computed for different frequencies and powers. The results are used to draw conclusions of the deployment of antennas on the ship as well as operational aspects such as UAV flight paths.