ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS 4th Ed BY G. Kennedy & B.Davis MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS: 1.

Indicate which one of the following terms applies to troposcatter propagation? a. SIDs c. Atmospheric Storms b. Fading d. Faraday rotation

2. VLF waves are used for some types of services because a. of the low powers required c. they are very reliable b. the transmitting antennas are of convenient d. they penetrate the ionosphere easily size

3. Indicate which of the following frequencies cannot be used for reliable beyond-the-horizon terrestrial communications without repeaters: a. 20 kHz c. 900 MHz b. 15 MHz d. 12 GHz

4. High-frequency waves are a. absorbed by the F2 layer b. reflected by the D layer

c. capable of use for long-distance communications on the moon d. affected by the solar cycle

5. Distances near the skip distance should be used for sky-wave propagation a. to avoid tilting c. to avoid the Faraday effect b. to prevent sky-wave and upper ray d. so as not to exceed the critical frequency interference

6. A ship-to-ship communication system is plagued by fading. The best solution seems to be the use of a. a more directional antenna c. frequency diversity b. a broadband antenna d. space diversity

7. A range of microwave frequencies more easily passed by the atmosphere than are the others is called a a. window c. gyro frequency range b. critical frequency d. resonance in the atmosphere

8. Frequencies in the UHF range normally propagate by means of a. ground waves c. surface waves b. sky waves d. space waves

9. Tropospheric scatter is used with frequencies in the following range: a. HF c. UHF b. VHF d. VLF

10. The ground wave eventually disappears, as one moves away from the transmitter, because of a. interference from the sky wave c. maximum single-hop distance limitation b. loss of line-of-sight propagation d. tilting

11. In electromagnetic waves, polarization a. is caused by reflection b. is due to the transverse nature of the waves

c. results from the longitudinal nature of the waves d. is always vertical in an isotropic medium

12. As electromagnetic waves travel in free space, only one of the following can happen to them: a. absorption c. refraction b. attenuation d. reflection

13. The absorption of radio waves by the atmosphere depends on a. frequency c. the polarization of the waves b. their distance from the transmitter d. the polarization of the atmosphere

14. Electromagnetic waves are refracted when they a. pass into a medium of different dielectric constant b. are polarized by right angles to the direction of the propagation

c. encounter a perfectly conducting surface d. pass through a small slot in a conducting plane

15. Diffraction of electromagnetic waves a. is caused by reflections from the ground b. arises only with spherical waveforms c. will occur when the waves pass through a large slot

d. may occur around the edge of a sharp obstacle

16. When microwave signals follow the curvature of the earth, this is known as a. the Faraday effect c. tropospheric scatter b. ducting d. ionospheric reflection

17. Helical antenna are often used for satellite tracking at VHF because of a. troposcatter c. ionospheric refraction b. superrefraction d. the Faraday effect

REVIEW PROBLEMS: 1) At 20 km in free space from a point source, the power density is 200 W/m2. What is the power density 25 km away from this source?

2) Calculate the power density (a) 500 m from a 500-W source and (b) 36,000 km from a 3-kW source. Both are assumed to be omnidirectional point sources. The second value is, incidentally, the equivalent power density on the ground from a communication satellite in orbit.

3) A deep-space high-gain antenna and receiver system have a noise figure such that a minimum received power of 3.7 10-18 is required for satisfactory communication. What must be the transmitting power from a Jupiter probe, situated 800 million km from the earth? Assume the transmitting antenna is isotropic, and the equivalent area of the receiving antenna has an area of 8400 m2.

4) A wave travelling in free space undergoes refraction after entering a denser medium, such that the original 30 angle of incidence at the boundary between the two media is changed 20. What is the velocity of electromagnetic waves in the second medium?

5) A 150-m antenna transmitting at 1.2 MHz (and therefore by ground wave), has an antenna current of 8 A. What voltage is received by a receiving antenna 40 km away, with a height of 2 m? Note that this is a typical MF broadcasting situation.

6) Two points on earth are 1500 km apart and are to communicate by means of HF. Given that this is to be a single-hop transmission, the critical frequency at that time is 7 MHz and conditions are idealized, calculate the MUF for those two points if the height of the ionospheric layer is 300 km.

7) A microwave link consists of repeaters at 40-km intervals. What must be the minimum height of transmitting and receiving antennas above ground level (given that they are the same) to ensure line-ofsight conditions?

REVIEW QUESTIONS: 1) Electromagnetic waves are said to be transverse; what does this mean? In what way are transverse waves different from longitudinal waves?

2) Define the terms power density, and explain why it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.

3) Explain what is meant by the terms isotropic source and isotropic medium.

4) Define and explain field intensity. Relate it to power density with the concept of characteristic impedance of free space.

5) Explain fully the concept of linear polarization. Can longitudinal waves be polarized? Explain.

6) Why does the atmosphere absorb some power from waves propagating through it? At what frequencies does this absorption become apparent? Illustrate with a sketch combining the absorption by oxygen and water vapour versus frequency, labelling the windows.

7) Prove that when electromagnetic waves are reflected from a perfectly conducting medium, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence. Hint: Bear in mind that all parts of the wave front travel with the same velocity, and consider what would happen if the two angles were not equal.

8) What is refraction? Explain under what circumstances it occurs and what causes it.

9) Prove, with a diagram, that an electromagnetic waves passing from a denser to a rarer medium are bent away from the normal.

10) What is interference of radio waves? What are the conditions necessary for it to happen?

11) What is meant by the diffraction of radio waves? Under what conditions does it arise? Under what condition does it not arise?

12) Draw up a table shown radio-frequency ranges, the means whereby they propagate and the maximum terrestrial distances achievable under normal conditions.

13) Describe ground-wave propagation. What is the angle of tilt? How does it affect field strength at a distance from the transmitter?

14) Describe briefly the strata of the ionosphere and their effects on sky-wave propagation. Why is this propagation generally better at night than during the day?

15) Discuss the reflection mechanism whereby electromagnetic waves are bent back by a layer of the ionosphere. Include in your discussion a description of the virtual height of a layer. The fact that the virtual height is greater than the actual height proves something about the reflection mechanism. What is this?

16) Show with the aid of a suitable sketch, what happens as the angle of incidence of a radio wave, using sky-wave propagation is brought closer and closer to the vertical. Define skip distance, and show how it is related to the maximum usable frequency.

17) What is fading? List its major causes.

18) Describe: Virtual height, critical frequency, maximum usable frequency, skip distance and fading.

19) Describe the main ionospheric variations, including a brief mention of the interference that may be caused by the sporadic E layer.

20) In connection with space-wave propagation. What is the radio horizon? How does it differ from the optical horizon?