John A.

Richards

Radio Wave Propagation

An Introduction for the Non-Specialist

fyA Springer

Contents

Fundamental Concepts: Propagation in Free Space 1 1.1 Free Space Versus Guided Propagation of Radio Waves 1 1.2 The Concept of Power Density 1 1.3 Electric and Magnetic Field Components 3 1.4 Velocity of Propagation and Frequency-Wavelength Relationship .. 5 1.5 Friis' Radiation Formula 6 1.6 Band Designation for Radio Waves 7 1.7 Radio Wave Propagation Near the Earth 8 1.8 Allocating the Radio Spectrum 10 Problems 11 The Surface Wave .'. 2.1 Ideal Surface Wave Field Strength 2.2 The Case of a Real Earth 2.3 Incorporating Earth Curvature and Atmospheric Refraction 2.4 Propagation at Very Low Frequencies Problems The Sky Wave 3.1 The Ionosphere "....' 3.2 The Refractive Index of an Ionospheric Layer 3.3 Refraction of a Radio Wave in the Ionosphere 3.4 The Set of Critical Frequencies 3.5 The Virtual Height of an Ionospheric Layer 3.6 Maximum Usable Frequency and Skip Distance 3.7 Range of the Sky Wave Problems 13 13 14 17 18 22 23 23 26 27 30 31 35 36 37 39 39 43

.^. ".

The Space Wave 4.1 The Received Field Strength 4.2 Effect of Earth Curvature on Space Wave Propagation

Contents

4.3 Diffraction 4.4 Refraction of the Space Wave 4.5 Effect of Rainfall on Space Wave Propagation 4.6 Atmospheric Attenuation Problems 5 Noise 5.1 What is Noise? 5.2 Sources of Noise 5.3 The Concept of Noise Temperature 5.4 The Noise Temperature of a Two Port 5.5 Noise Figure 5.6 Relationship Between Noise Figure and Output Signal to Noise Ratio 5.7 The Noise Properties of a Passive Two Port 5.8 Cascaded Two Ports: Friis' Noise Formula Problems Examples of Microwave Systems 6.1 The Design of Open Microwave Repeater Systems 6.1.1 The Need for Transmission Diversity 6.1.2 The Use of Passive Reflectors 6.2 Propagation Aspects of Satellite Communication Systems 6.2.1 The Geostationary Orbit 6.2.2 Link Power Calculations 6.3 The Propagation Aspects of Cellular Radio 6.4 Mobile Wireless Systems Problems The Effect of Materials on Propagation 7.1 Background 7.2 Propagation in Homogeneous Media 7.3 Frequency Dependence of Material Properties 7.4 Interactions with Ideal Interfaces 7.5 Reflection from Rough Surfaces 7.6 Transmission Through Media 7.7 Propagation in Tunnels Problems A Simple Introduction to Antennas A.I Introduction: Radiation Resistance and Radiation Patterns A.2 The Directivity and Gain of an Antenna A.3 The Aperture of an Antenna

45 48 53 54 55 57 57 58 59 59 61 61 62 63 66 69 69 72 73 75 75 77 79 81 84 87 87 88 92 96 . v . . . . 99 ' 101 102 104 107 107 110 112

Contents

ix

A.4 Radiated Fields A.5 Some Typical Antennas A.6 Baluns B C The Use of Decibels in Communications Engineering The Dielectric Constant of an Ionospheric Layer

112 115 117 119 121 125

Index