Description

The HF, or shortwave, band is generally considered to spread from 3 to 30MHz. At these frequencies it is possible to communicate over the horizon by effectively reflecting radio waves off the ionosphere. About 50 years ago, HF was extensively used for long distance communication. Large networks of relay stations were constructed to communicate this traffic. The ionosphere is, however, a complex and constantly changing phenomenon. Simpler and more reliable methods such as satellites and cable replaced these networks. But now digital technologies are giving the HF band a new lease of life. Techniques for automatically selecting and maintaining a suitable transmission frequency have been developed. Equalisation, coding and interleaving enables data to be reliably transmitted over constantly changing HF channels.
The Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a region of the earth's atmosphere where charged particles exist. The ionosphere starts at altitudes above 80km (50miles). At this height the atmosphere is thin enough that free electrons can exist for short periods before they are captured by a nearby positive ion. The ionosphere has properties of both a gas and a plasma. Solar radiations dislodges electrons from gas atoms or molecules by UV and higher frequency solar radiation. Ionization is balanced by recombination where free electrons are captured by positive ions. The degree of ionization varies with altitude. At the highest levels the solar radiation is the most intense but the number of atoms is small so there are few charged particles. As the altitude decreases the number of gas atoms increases, increasing the ionization process and also the recombination process as the chance of a free electron encountering an ion increases. Also the solar radiation intensity decreases as more photons are absorbed at higher levels.