Interannual Variation of a 12,760 km Transequatorial Ionospheric Channel Availability and Its Dependence on Ionization

Abstract

The ionosphere provides a channel able for long-haul and Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) communications. Nonetheless, the amount of ionization depends on the Sun activity, whose diurnal and seasonal cycles transform the channel constantly. La Salle and the Observatori de l’Ebre have been sounding a 12,760 km ionospheric channel from Antarctica (62.7°S, 299.6°E) to Spain (41.0°N, 1.0°E) in order to find this evidence and to analyze the characteristics of this particular channel. The final goal of the project is to establish a stable communications link to be used as backup or for low rate data transmission. The aim of this paper is to prove the relation between the channel availability and the Sun phenomena affecting the ionization in four consecutive sounding campaigns.