World Journal of Engineering Research and Technology

Andrew Adagbor Okwoche*, Utoda Reuben Agim, Timothy Odey Odachi and Francis Ifeanyi Anyasi

ABSTRACT

This study presents a comprehensive simulation analysis of propagation delay and signal attenuation in maritime wireless communication systems employing hybrid antennas (RF and satellite). Using MATLAB, propagation delay was analyzed over a 1–100 km range, revealing a linear increase from 3.33 µs to 333 µs, consistent with the speed of light in free space. Free space path loss (FSPL) ranged from 80.04 dB to 120.04 dB over the same distance at a carrier frequency of 2.4 GHz. The received signal strength (RSS) dropped from -50 dBm at 1 km to -90 dBm at 100 km, approaching the typical receiver sensitivity threshold of -90 dBm, indicating the need for gain compensation in extended links. Signal attenuation heatmaps illustrated spatial RSS variation, with complete signal loss beyond 95 km in absence of adaptive gain. The hybrid antenna gain analysis showed that the RF antenna exhibited frequency-dependent gain oscillations between 2 dBi and 8 dBi, while the satellite antenna maintained a stable 10 dBi gain across 1–5 GHz. The radiation pattern analysis confirmed directive characteristics of the RF antenna, suitable for point-to-point vessel communication. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) decreased from 40 dB at 1 km to 0 dB at 100 km, highlighting the critical tradeoff between range and quality. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of hybrid antennas in optimizing maritime communication under variable range and environmental conditions.

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