Radio Wave Propagation

Radio Engineerin- Antti V. Raisanen & Arto_Lehtog

Chapter 1 & 10
 Introduction
• Radio waves are one form of electromagnetic radiation
• The frequencies of radio waves range from 3 Hz to 300 GHz.
• Electromagnetic radiation has a dual nature:
– In some cases, it behaves as waves
– In other cases, it behaves as particles (photons)
• For radio frequencies, the wave model is generally more
appropriate
• Electromagnetic waves can be generated by many means, but
all them involve the movement of electrical charges
 Radio Wave Propagation
• Radio Waves propagate outward from an antenna ,
at the speed of light. The exact nature of these
waves is determined by the transmission medium. In
free space, they travel in straight lines , whereas in
the atmosphere they generally travel in curved path.
• Radio waves can be reflected, diffracted and
refracted in a manner similar to light . They are
effected by ground terrain, atmosphere and other
objects.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Radio Frequency Bands
 Antenna
• An antenna is a transducer that converts radio
frequency electric current to electromagnetic waves
that are radiated into space or vice versa.
• Transmission - radiates electromagnetic energy into
space
• Reception - collects electromagnetic energy from
space
• In two-way communication, the same antenna can
be used for transmission and reception
 Propagation Modes
• Ground or Surface wave (< 2MHz) propagation
• Sky or Ionospheric wave (2 – 30 MHz)
propagation
• Space or Tropospheric wave (> 30 MHz)
propagation
Propagation Modes
 Ground Wave Propagation
• It propagates from transmitter to receiver by gliding over
the surface of the earth in which both antennas are close to
the surface of the earth. It follows the curvature of the earth
to propagate far beyond the horizon.
• Frequencies up to 2 MHz
• Relatively short-range communications
• Example: AM radio
 Ground Wave Propagation
• The surface wave reaches the receiving site by traveling along
the surface of the ground as shown in figure. A surface wave
can follow the contours of the Earth because of the process of
diffraction.
 Ground Wave Propagation
• As a surface wave passes over the ground, the wave induces current in
the Earth. The induced current takes energy away from the surface wave,
thereby weakening or attenuating the wave as it moves away from the
transmitting antenna. To reduce the attenuation, the amount of induced
current must be reduced. This is done by using vertically polarized waves
that minimize the extent to which the electric field of the wave is in
contact with the Earth. When a surface wave is horizontally polarized, the
electric field of the wave is parallel with the surface of the Earth and,
therefore, is constantly in contact with it. The wave is then completely
attenuated within a short distance from the transmitting site. On the
other hand, when the surface wave is vertically polarized, the electric
field is vertical to the Earth and merely dips into and out of the Earth's
surface. For this reason, vertical polarization is vastly superior to
horizontal polarization for surface wave propagation.
 Sky Wave Propagation
• Signal reflected from ionized layer of atmosphere back down
to earth
• Signal can travel a number of hops, back and forth between
ionosphere and earth’s surface
• Reflection effect caused by refraction
• Long coverage can be obtained
• Example: International broadcasts
 Sky Wave Propagation
• The ionosphere is the region of the upper atmosphere where
the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation can ionize molecules to create a
positive ions and a free electrons.
• The ionosphere protects us from excessive ultraviolet
radiation.
• There are three main layers of the ionosphere.
• D layer is 30 to 60 miles in altitude. The ions in this layer
recombine at night. Least ionized and is responsible for short
hop HF communication.
• E layer is 60 to 70 miles in altitude. The ions in this layer also
recombine at night, but last longer after sunset. It is useful for
single hop HF out to 1200 miles.
 Sky Wave Propagation
• F layer is 100 to 300 miles and is the least dense. It can stay partially ionized
all night. It is the most important reflecting medium for HF waves.
• The F layer splits into the F1 and F2 layers during the day. The layers
combine into a single F layer at night.
• When the Sun is directly overhead the F2 layer will be at its highest
altitude. The F2 Region is primarily responsible for long hops or skip to
2500 miles.
 Sky Wave Propagation
– The ionosphere can cause radio waves to bend
(refract)
– The more dense the ionization the higher the
degree of refraction
– VHF and higher radio waves usually pass through
the ionosphere into space
– HF radio waves are most affected by refraction
 Sky Wave Propagation
The virtual height is the height from which the radio
wave appears to be reflecting.
 Sky Wave Propagation
The typical electron distribution in the ionosphere

F
F2
F1
E E
D

N (1/m3)
The ionosphere can be modeled as a lossy dielectric whose relative permittivity
varies with height (electron density) and with the frequency of wave
Sky Wave Propagation
Sky Wave Propagation
Sky Wave Propagation
 Sky Wave Propagation
 Maximum usable frequency (MUF) is the highest
frequency at which propagation exists between two
points. Frequencies higher than the MUF pass through
the ionosphere into space.
 Lowest usable frequency (LUF) is the lowest frequency
at which propagation exists between two points.
Frequencies lower than the LUF are absorbed in the
ionosphere.
 The MUF and LUF are affected by:
• Time of day
• Season
• Amount of solar radiation
• Ionospheric stability
 Sky Wave Propagation
Sky-wave propagation refers to radio wave propagation via the
ionosphere. Each reflection from the ionosphere is a hop.
Reception of sky-wave propagation is called skip. If the desired
range is greater than the maximum skip distance, a multi-hop
link must be used.

A
h' h'
Io n o sp h ere
Sk
ance ip
t
dis op Sec dist
ip on anc
Sk irst h dh e
op
F
Tx B
E arth
 Space Wave Propagation
 Signals in the VHF and higher range are not usually returned
to earth by the ionosphere.
 These waves have the ability to propagate through
atmosphere, from transmitter antenna to receiver antenna.
These waves can travel directly or can travel after reflecting
from earth’s surface to the troposphere surface of earth.
This type of propagation is referred to as space-wave, line-of-
sight, or tropospheric propagation

The farthest point to which radio waves will travel directly, via space-wave
propagation, is called the radio horizon
 Space Wave Propagation
 The space wave follows two distinct paths from the
transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna – one
through the air directly to the receiving antenna, the other
reflected from the ground to the receiving antenna.

The primary path of the space wave is directly from the

transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna. So, the
receiving antenna must be located within the radio horizon
of the transmitting antenna.

Because space waves are refracted slightly, even when

propagated through the troposphere, the radio horizon is
actually about one-third farther than the line-of-sight or
natural horizon.
 Space Wave Propagation
* Dominant mode of propagation for EM waves above 30 MHz.
Since the frequency is high,
f2 >> 81 N so that n ≈ 1 ( Free Space)
* This mode can be used in Satellite Communications.
* The disadvantage of LOS is that the signal path has to be above
the horizon and the receiver antennas need to be placed on tall
towers so that they can see each other.

* There are some limitations of space wave propagation:

 These waves are limited to the curvature of the earth.

These waves have line of sight propagation, means their
propagation is along the line of sight distance.
Space Wave Propagation
Space Wave Propagation
Space Wave Propagation
Space Wave Propagation
 Space Wave Propagation
 Satellite communication uses UHF / Microwave regions. Microwaves
carrying audio, video, telephone, telex, FAX signals, etc. are transmitted
from the earth to the satellites orbiting in the space and retransmitted
from the satellites to different parts of the earth (world).
 The special devices used for this purpose in satellites are called
‘transponders’.
 Satellite communication is mainly done through ‘geostationary
satellites’. Three geostationary satellites placed in equatorial orbits at
120° from one another can cover practically the whole populated land
area of the world.
 Frequency modulation is used for both ‘up channel’ and ‘down
channel’ transmission. Though FM needs a larger bandwidth, it offers
good immunity from interference and requires less power in the satellite
transmitter.