In a context of mobile radio transmissions a statistical model of propagation channels is needed in order to evaluate the performance of the link. Many models involve an underlying Markov chain where the number of states and the associated probability law are a priori unknown. We propose a method to extract these parameters from measurements of instantaneous received power. It is applied to model the channel in the case of downlink transmissions in the L-band, from a non-geostationary satellite

more »

... to a receiver on Earth in various terrestrial environments. The results are displayed for two categories of receivers, corresponding to vehicular and pedestrian users, and reveal difference between both models.