Comparative Reanalysis of 89.9 MHz Click FM Path Loss on the IBB University Campus Using Parabolic-equation and Empirical Models

Abstract

This study presents a comparative reanalysis of distance-indexed path-loss data for the 89.9 MHz Click FM signal within Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Nigeria. The analysis evaluates a parabolic-equation (PE) prediction series against the Free Space Path Loss (FSPL), Ericsson, and Lee comparator series using the 12-measured path-loss values reported for transmitter-receiver separations from 50 to 600 m. To ensure internal consistency, all error statistics were recomputed directly from the values in Table 1 and the graphical results were regenerated from the same dataset. The full-dataset root means square errors (RMSEs) were 15.39 dB for the PE series, 30.55 dB for Ericsson, 35.31 dB for Lee, and 79.83 dB for FSPL. The corresponding mean absolute errors were 11.46, 26.27, 31.65, and 78.28 dB, respectively. Within this 12-point dataset, the PE series therefore shows the closest overall agreement with the measured path loss, while still smoothing several strong local fluctuations in the observations. A cumulative RMSE analysis is also reported as a descriptive measure of how prediction error evolves as progressively more distance points are included. Because the available data are a secondary distance-indexed series rather than the complete route-level measurement archive, the findings are interpreted as a within-dataset comparison rather than evidence of universal model superiority. The results support further independently documented VHF field validation of PE-based propagation prediction in campus environments.