Comparison of Longley-Rice, ITM and ITWOM propagation models for DTV and FM broadcasting

With the rapid deployment of digital TV, there is an increasing need for accurate point-to-area prediction tools. There is a great deal of propagation models for coverage prediction of DTV. Some of them are pure empirical models, and others are mixed, empirical-analytical models, based on measurement campaigns and electromagnetic theory. The aim of this paper is to compare accurate measurements taken by a Rohde & Schwarz FSH-3 portable spectrum analyzer and precision antennas (biconical and log-periodic), with simulation results derived from coverage prediction models, like the NTIA-ITS Longley-Rice model, the ITM (Irregular Terrain Model) using the 3-arc-second SRTM (Satellite Radar Topography Mission) data that is available freely, and the newer ITWOM (Irregular Terrain with Obstructions Model) model which combines equations from ITU-R P.1546 model with Beer's law and Snell's law. Furthermore, measurements for analog FM broadcasting are compared to predictions from the above mentioned models.