(Fairfax, VA) - October 24, 1998 - Ricciardi Technologies Incorporated (RTI) representatives John Gemmill (RTI) and Lino Siconolfi (RTI) joined Lockheed Martin Liberscope representative Mark Derksen (project lead) in conducting BAWS98 replacement radio foliage testing at Fort Leonard Wood (Ft. LW), Mo. The site was obtained through the Joint Spectrum Center (JSC), also involved in the project though not represented at this event, through the Maneuver Support Battle Lab (MSBL) at Ft. LW.

The testing, performed over 4 days on site, involved managing logistics of all our equipment and supplies as well as selecting appropriate evaluation sites. We were studying the effects of deciduous foliage on various aspects of radio modem data transmission, including frequency effects (several military frequency bands, selected and approved for our use by JSC) and distance (~1.5 mile, max), for 3 selected brands of radio modem. Our assigned area was hilly (+/- 100 ft.) but we were able to select test sites on flat hilltops at roughly the same elevation with no intervening terrain. One notable effect observed under marginal transmission conditions was that transmission efficiency would increase when the breeze was moving intervening tree leaves. We also were loaned an interesting new piece of MSBL equipment, a GPS III receiver with distance measuring and waypoint capabilities (available for about $300 retail) that proved remarkably accurate when compared to the topological maps we were using, observed John Gemmill (RTI Senior Engineer).