Radio Waves and Propagation

VY1GP, George - Instructor

Introduction

The concept of radio waves is fundamental to understanding how radio signals go from a transmitter, through the air, to a receiver. Two chapters in the Study Guide cover this concept.

Chapter 5 introduces you the terms, "frequency", "wavelength", and "band". There are simple calculations involving the relationship between frequency and wavelength. You will also learn more about the bands that make up the radio portion of the electromatic spectrum. This was introduced in the section on Regulations. If you use both handheld radios and the long distance shortwave radio communications, you will use this information regularily.

Chapter 6 introduces you to concept of "propagation", or how radio waves get from point "a" to point "b". You will learn how different types of waves travel and what effects how well they travel. You will learn why the solar activity is the most critical factor effecting radio propagation.

The Exam & Question Bank

About 7% of the exam questions will be from section B-007 in the question bank. There are about 80 questions to review. They are found in the following sections:

Radio Wave Propagation - 007

7-1 line of sight, ground wave, ionospheric wave (sky wave)
7-2 ionosphere, ionospheric regions (layers)
7-3 propagation hops, skip zone, skip distance
7-4 ionospheric absorption, causes and variation, fading, phase shift, Faraday
rotation
7-5 solar activity, sunspots, sunspot cycle
7-6 MF and HF, critical and maximum useable frequencies, solar flux
7-7 VHF and UHF, sporadic-E, aurora, ducting
7-8 scatter - HF, VHF, UHF

A review ...

1-15 frequency bands and qualification requirements
1-16 maximum bandwidth by frequency bands

The Materials


Study Guide Chapters 5 & 6

Note book

Simple calculator

Study Hints

You should be able to review these chapters in one evening to get a good overview of the topics.

Like the hints in the other sections, try the questions after reading each section to reinforce what you have learned.

Learn the formula for wave length vs frequency so that you can easily explain what frequencies are in what bands.

You will see detailed tables for "band plans". You do not have to memorized these tables, but you should check the questions pertaining to the band plans and know the answers to these questions.

"Propagation" can be fascinating if you have a scientific interest. There are lengthy courses on this topic. To pass the exam, however, just stick to the concepts in the Study Guide.

After reading all the material, try all the questions in the sections above. If you don't get the right answer for all them, go back to the Study Guide again.

Next: Antennas and Transmission Lines