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T3A12

RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION · Radio wave characteristics: how a radio signal travels, fading, multipath, polarization, wavelength vs absorption; Antenna orientation

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What effect does fog or rain have on 10-meter and 6-meter band signals?

  1. AAbsorption
  2. BLittle effect
  3. CDeflection
  4. DIncreased range
Why Precipitation only scatters or absorbs radio energy when the raindrops are a significant fraction of a wavelength, which happens at microwave frequencies (roughly 10 GHz and above). At 28 MHz and 50 MHz the wavelength is measured in meters, so raindrops and fog droplets are millions of times smaller and essentially invisible to the wave. That is why weather-related rain scatter and rain fade are microwave concerns, not 10-meter or 6-meter concerns.
Watch out Absorption is the tempting pick because it is real, but it applies to microwave bands and to the ionospheric D layer, not to raindrops affecting HF and low VHF.
Raindrops are millimeters; 10 m and 6 m waves are meters. Too big to notice the drops.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
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The rest of T3A

  1. T3A01 Why do VHF signal strengths sometimes vary greatly when the antenna is moved only a few feet?
  2. T3A02 How does vegetation affect UHF and microwave signals?
  3. T3A03 What antenna polarization is normally used for long-distance CW and SSB contacts on the VHF and UHF bands?
  4. T3A04 What is the effect of antenna cross-polarization over a line-of-sight VHF or UHF path?
  5. T3A05 When using a directional antenna, how might your station be able to communicate with a distant repeater if bu…
  6. T3A06 What is the meaning of the term "picket fencing"?
  7. T3A07 What weather condition might decrease range at microwave frequencies?
  8. T3A08 What is a likely cause of irregular fading of signals propagated by the ionosphere?
  9. T3A09 Which of the following results from the fact that signals propagated by the ionosphere are elliptically polar…
  10. T3A10 What effect does multi-path propagation have on data transmissions?
  11. T3A11 Which region of the atmosphere can reflect HF radio waves?
  12. T3A12 What effect does fog or rain have on 10-meter and 6-meter band signals?
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