TANZANIA PEOPLE’S DEFENCES FORCES
SCHOOL OF AIR DEFENCE - TANGA
DIRECTORATE OF STUDIES (DOS)
DIPLOMA IN ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATION
TECHNONOLOGY
RADIO WAVE TRANSMISSION
(ETT05212)
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
GROUP MEMBERS
1.VS SIMBERT
2.WA MTUTUI
3.URASSA GR
4.KABANDA FF
5.LUCAS CK
INSTR: WO II MWINUKA GM
23 MAY 24
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THE IONOSPHERE
The ionosphere is the area that is traditionally thought of as providing
the means by which long distance communications can be made. It
has a major effect on what are normally thought of as the short-wave
bands, providing a means by which signals appear to be reflected
back to earth from layers high above the ground.
The ionosphere has a high level of free electrons and ions -
hence the name ionosphere. It is found that the level of electrons
sharply increases at altitudes of around 30 km, but it is not until
altitudes of around 60km are reached that the free electrons are
sufficiently dense to significantly affect radio signals.
The ionisation occurs as a result of radiation, mainly from the
sun, striking molecules of air with sufficient energy to release
electrons and leave positive ions.
Obviously when ions and free electrons meet, then they are
likely to recombine, so a state of dynamic equilibrium is set up,
but the higher the level of radiation, the more electrons will be
freed.
Much of the ionisation is caused by ultraviolet light. As it
reaches the higher reaches of the atmosphere it will be at its
strongest, but as it hits molecules in their upper reaches where
the air is very thin, it will ionise much of the gas. In doing this,
the intensity of the radiation is reduced
At the lower levels of the ionosphere, the intensity of the
ultraviolet light his much reduced and more penetrating
radiation including x-rays and cosmic rays gives rise to much of
the ionisation.
As a result of many factors it is found that the level of free
electrons varies over the ionosphere and there are areas that
affect radio signals more than others. These are often referred to
as layers, but are possibly more correctly thought of the regions
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as they are quite indistinct in many respects. These layers are
given designations D, E, and F1 and F2.
Tpical height of Ionospheric layers above earth
Ionospheric Regions
1. D region
The D layer or D region is the lowest of the regions that
affects radio signals. It exists at altitudes between about 60 and
90 km. It is present during the day when radiation is being
received from the sun, but because of the density of molecules at
this altitude, free electrons and ions quickly recombine after
sunset when there is no radiation to retain the ionisation levels.
The main effect of the D region is to attenuate signals that pass
through it, although the level of attenuation decreases with
increasing frequency. Accordingly, its effects are very obvious
on the medium wave broadcast band - during the day when the
D region is present, few signals are heard beyond that provided
by ground wave coverage. At night when the region is not
present, signals are reflected from higher layers and signals are
heard from much further afield.
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2. E region
Above the D region, the next region is the E region or E
layer. This exists at an altitude of between 100 and 125 km. The
main effect of this region is to reflect radio signals although they
still undergo some attenuation. In view of its altitude and the
density of the air, electrons and positive ions recombine
relatively quickly. This means that after sunset when the source
of radiation is removed, the layer reduces in strength very
considerably although some residual ionization does remain.
3. F region
The F region or F layer is higher than both the D and E
regions and it the most important region for long distance HF
communications. During the day it often splits into two regions
known as the F1 and F2 regions, the F1 layer being the lower of
the two. At night these two regions merge as a result of the
reduction in level of radiation to give one region called the F
region. The altitudes of the F regions vary considerably. Time of
day, season and the state of the sun all have major effects on the
F region. As a result, any figures for altitude are very variable
and the following figures should only be used as a very rough
guide. Typical summer altitudes for the F1 region may be
approximately 300 km with the F2 layer at about 400 km or
even higher. Winter figures may see the altitudes reduced to
about 200 km and 300 km. Night time altitudes may be around
250 to 300 km. Like the D and E regions, the level of ionisation
fort he F region falls at night, but in view of the much lower air
density, the ions and electrons combine much more slowly and
the F layer decays much more slowly. As a result, it is able to
support radio communications at night, although changes are
experienced because of the lessening of the ionisation levels.
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