Fading Characteristics of Radio Waves of 2·6 MHz Reflected from the Ionosphere over Ahmedabad

Abstract

A study has been made of the variations in the fading characteristics of singly ionospherically reflected pulses of 2·6 MHz recorded at Ahmedabad during IQSY using Mitra's (1949) three spaced receiver technique. The reflected radio waves are found to possess a statistical character of reflection (diffusive reflection) in addition to the specular reflection. The specularly reflected component is found to be more in magnitude than the spectrum of the scattered waves in the resultant wave field of reflected echoes. The fading rate increases with decrease of b, the ratio of the specularly reflected component to the spectrum of the scattered waves. The fading rate possesses a linear relation with apparent horizontal drift speed, V' (as obtained by Mitra's similar fade method) and the diurnal variation of fading rate may be used as a fairly good index of the diurnal variation of drift speed. It is also noted that the entire fading is not caused by the horizontal drift movement alone but by some other agencies a...