Figure 6. Diffraction of wave around solid object.
5.
Types of Ground Waves.
a. Radio waves that do not make use of the ionosphere are called
ground waves.
The received signal strength depends on how powerful
the transmitter is.
Terrain features the wave must travel over
affects the received signal strength.
The Earth's surface reduces
the range of a ground wave signal.
Mountains and jungles are bad
terrain features. Sea water is the best terrain feature to transmit
a radio signal over. Other bodies of water are also good, but not as
good as sea water.
b. Figure 7 shows the various types of ground waves that a radio
signal may take from the transmitter to the receiver. The signal may
also be refracted by the troposphere. The ground wave is composed of
a direct wave, a ground reflected wave, a surface wave, and a
tropospheric wave.
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