Radio Propagation & Technology In Offshore Communication Systems

Abstract

This article is a Master thesis as part of the study program Automation and Signal Processing at the University of Stavanger, carried out during the spring of 2018. The thesis has been performed with close cooperation with Tampnet, a telecommunications company based in Stavanger, Norway, which specializes in high capacity, offshore communications. The idea for this thesis came out of the need for a single compilation of environmental factors affecting offshore communication systems. There was also a demand for an introductory piece on line-of-sight (LOS) radio links and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology for the employees of the network operations centre (NOC), which is what this thesis provides. This thesis consists of introductory elements to subjects such as wireless communication, environmental fading, interference, radio propagation, fixed communication systems and mobile communication systems. It also includes a section on some common difficulties related to the offshore environments such as tidal variations and multipath fading due to ocean reflections. These examples are supplemented with real-time data collected over years by the Tampnet NOC. The end result of the thesis as a whole is a ground-levelled preparatory collection to high-end courses within the field of radioelectric telecommunication.