The k -μ distribution applied to the analysis of fading in body to body communication channels for fire and rescue personnel

In this letter, we perform a novel characterization of the fading experienced in body to body communications channels for flre and rescue personnel using the recently proposed k -μ distribution. A transmitter positioned on the lead fire person and four strategically placed, time-synchronized 2.45-GHz receivers situated on the protective helmet and shoulders of another team member allowed small-scale signal variation to be recorded while a rescue team of four persons performed a building sweep and search type operation. A general k -μ model with parameters K = 2.31 and μ = 1.19 was obtained using maximum likelihood estimation and shown to provide a good fit to measured data. Level crossing rates for these channels are also presented.