The use of a suitable propagation model for coverage prediction is key during the planning and dimensioning process of a digital terrestrial television (DTT) system. This study optimises one of the most detailed models for this purpose, i.e. Recommendation ITU‐R.P.1812‐4, with the aim of improving its accuracy in propagation path loss prediction for DTT systems in outdoor environments of Caracas city, Venezuela. For model adjustment, it is used the bioinspired technique particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and received signal level measurements performed in DTT systems in Caracas city under fixed reception conditions. The results, quantitatively analysed by RMS error and grey relation grade and mean absolute percentage error, shows a significant increase of the accuracy of optimised model in comparison with the original version and even with others propagation models.

In the present study, rainfall rate statistics for radio propagation applications collected during 1‐year measurement with a 1‐min integration time in three locations of Venezuela are presented and analyzed for the first time in the country. Specifically, the statistics of the worst‐month (WM) are assessed and compared with the Recommendation ITU‐R P.841‐7 prediction model. The results indicate that the model does not accurately predict the statistics of the WM in the country. Also, the performance of Recommendation ITU‐R P.837‐7 (Annex 1 and Annex 2) in estimating the rain rate for a 1‐min integration time at the three locations is examined, with the ITU‐R P.837‐7 Annex 1 exhibiting the best performance and providing results that encourage its use in the prediction of complementary cumulative distributions of rain rate in the country.

Predicting precipitation rate and rainfall attenuation are key aspects in planning and dimensioning of wireless communications systems operating at frequencies above 10 GHz, such as satellite communication systems at Ku and Ka bands. In this paper, contour maps of rainfall rate and rain attenuation are developed for the first time in Venezuela, based on 1-min rain rate statistics obtained from measurements carried out in Venezuela over at least 30 years period with a higher integration time and using Rice-Holmberg model, refined Moupfouma-Martin model and Recommendation ITU-R P.837-7, for rain rate estimation and Recommendation ITU-R P.618-13, Ramachandran-Kumar model, Yeo-Lee-Ong model and Rakshit-Adhikari-Maitra model, for rain attenuation prediction in “Simon Bolivar” satellite links in Venezuela. The overall results of both types of maps represent a useful tool for preliminary planning of those links in the country, specifically, in Ku and Ka bands