ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the problem of modeling electromagnetic propagation and its effects on land mobile satellite communications is addressed. A thorough review of the most accepted statistical models proposed in the scientific literature is presented, considering large-and small-scale fading, single-and multiple-state structures, narrowband and wideband channels, and first-and second-order statistics. Building upon a thorough characterization of propagation effects, the attention is turned to the assessment of digital transmission error probability for both uncoded and coded signals. Performance analysis based on closedform expressions, upper bounds, and numerical simulation is included. An extensive bibliography is offered to the interested reader, for further insights and investigation.
