PROPAGATION OF RADIOWAVES

The radiowave radiated from an antenna may be classified according to the altitude of the
paths along which it is propagated.

1. GROUND WAVE or SURFACE WAVE – that portion of the radiowaves that travels along
the surface of the earth and is affected by the presence of the earth and its surface
features.

Ground wave is an electromagnetic wave that travels along the surface of the earth.
Therefore, ground waves are sometimes called surface waves.

2. TROPOSPHERIC WAVE or SPACE WAVE – that point in the radiated waves that
undergoes reflection and refraction in the regions of abrupt change of dielectric constant in
the troposphere.

Space waves travel in (more or less) straight lines. However, since they depend line-of-
sight conditions, space waves are limited in their propagation by the curvature of the earth,
except in very unusual circumstances. Thus they propagate very much like
electromagnetic waves in free space.

3. IONOSPHERIC WAVE or SKY WAVE – that portion of the radiated wave which travel in
space is returned to earth by refraction in the ionosphere.

Electromagnetic waves that are directed above the horizon level are called sky waves.
Typically, sky waves are radiated in a direction that produces a relatively large angle with
reference to Earth. Sky waves are radiated toward the sky, where they are either reflected or
refracted back to earth by the ionosphere.

IONOSPHERE – the highest layer of the atmosphere and due to its nearness or closeness to the sun,
it continuously absorbing large amount of energy from the sun.

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS. The terminology that has grown up around the ionosphere and sky-
wave propagation includes several names and expressions whose meanings are not obvious.

1. VIRTUAL HEIGHT – The height of a layer would reach if it traveled in a straight line through
the ionosphere and was refracted as though from a mirror-like surface.
2. CRITICAL FREQUENCY (fc) – for a given layer, it is the highest frequency that will be
returned to earth by that layer after being beamed straight up at it.
3. CRITICAL ANGLE – the highest angle at which a wave of a specific frequency can be
propagated and still be returned to earth.
4. MAXIMUM USABLE FREQUENCY (MUF) – a limiting frequency but for a specific angle.
5. SKIP DISTANCE – the distance between the transmitter and the point on the earth’s surface
where the skywave first return to earth.
– a distance between any two points on the earth’s surface where the sky wave returns
– the distance between the originating site and the beginning of the ionospheric return.
6. SKIP ZONE – the portion on the earth’s surface not reached by either the sky wave or the
ground wave
- the distance between the farthest point reached by the ground wave and the
nearest point at which the refracted skywave comes back to earth.
FADING – it is the fluctuation in signal strength at the receiver.
– it is the variation in the strength of a radio signal at the point of reception

CAUSES OF FADING
1. interference between the lower and the upper rays of a sky wave;
2. caused by the arrival of ground wave and skywave at the same point out of phase
3. multipath transmission as a result of the different depths of penetration into the ionosphere
4. multipath transmission as a result of energy being refracted from different layers
5. radiowave travels by routes involving different number of hops

METHODS OF CORRECTING FADING

1. FREQUENCY DIVERSITY – the same signal to be transmitted with different frequency and
received by two receivers and the output of a receiver is fed to a common circuit that will
combine/detect/measure which of the two signals are stronger.
2. SPACE DIVERSITY – one transmitter and one frequency but two receivers and two antennas with
the antennas separated on a certain distance.

SATELLITE – an artificial body which is projected from earth to orbit either the earth or another body
of the solar system.
– a physical object that orbits or revolves around some celestial body

GENERAL TYPES
1. PASSIVE SATELLITE – one that simply reflects the signal back to earth
2. ACTIVE SATELLITE – one that electronically repeats a signal back to earth

According to orbit:
1. ORBITAL or NON-SYNCHRONOUS SATELLITE – they rotate around the earth in a low-
altitude elliptical or circular with an angular velocity greater than (prograde) or less than
(retrograde) that of earth
2. GEOSTATIONARY or GEOSYNCHRONOUS – satellites that orbit in a circular pattern with
an angular velocity equal to that of earth

ORBITAL ORBITS
1. low altitude (circular)
2. medium altitude (elliptical)
3. high altitude ( geosynchronous)

ORBITAL PATHS
1. EQUATORIAL ORBIT – satellites rotates in an orbit above the equatorial
2. POLAR ORBIT – satellite rotates in an orbit that take it over the north and south pole
3. INCLINED ORBIT – neither equatorial nor polar

APOGEE – the maximum distance from the earth a satellite orbit reaches
PERIGEE – the minimum distance from earth a satellite orbit reaches
POSIGRADE – the direction of the satellite’s revolution is the same direction as the earth’s rotation
RETROGRADE – opposite direction
POSTGRADE – angular velocity is greater than that of earth
RETROGRADE – angular velocity is less than that of earth
SIDEREAL PERIOD – time that it takes for a satellite to complete one orbit