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T3C07

RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION · Propagation modes: sporadic E, meteor scatter, auroral propagation, tropospheric ducting; F region skip; Line of sight and radio horizon

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What band is best suited for communicating via meteor scatter?

  1. A33 centimeters
  2. B6 meters
  3. C2 meters
  4. D70 centimeters
Why Meteors leave short-lived ionized trails high in the E region that can reflect radio signals for a fraction of a second up to a few seconds. The lower the frequency, the weaker the ionization needed to reflect it, so the lowest VHF band with an open, quiet noise floor works best. That makes the 50 MHz band the standard choice for meteor scatter contacts out to roughly 1000-1300 miles.
Watch out The 144 MHz band does support meteor scatter and is used for it, but bursts there are shorter and weaker than at 50 MHz; the UHF bands at 70 cm and 33 cm are far too high for meteor trail ionization to be useful.
Meteor scatter = the Magic Band, 6 meters. Lower frequency, easier reflection off a thin ion trail.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
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The rest of T3C

  1. T3C01 Why are simplex UHF signals rarely heard beyond their radio horizon?
  2. T3C02 What is a characteristic of HF communication compared with communications on VHF and higher frequencies?
  3. T3C03 What is one characteristic of VHF signals received via auroral backscatter?
  4. T3C04 Which of the following types of propagation is most commonly associated with occasional strong signals on the…
  5. T3C05 Which of the following effects may allow radio signals to travel beyond obstructions between the transmitting…
  6. T3C06 What type of propagation is responsible for allowing over-the-horizon VHF and UHF communications to ranges of…
  7. T3C07 What band is best suited for communicating via meteor scatter?
  8. T3C08 What causes tropospheric ducting?
  9. T3C09 What is generally the best time for long-distance 10-meter band propagation via the F region?
  10. T3C10 Which of the following bands may provide long-distance communications via the ionosphere's F region during th…
  11. T3C11 Why is the radio horizon for VHF and UHF signals more distant than the visual horizon?
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