Abstract:
As early as 1927 Eckersley postulated that an ionospherically reflected radio wave could be considered to be made up of a main ray which is constant in amplitude with a fluctuating signal superimposed on it. Determining the bearing and elevation angles of this postulated specular component is the aim of most direction finding measurements, and, with a simple extension to include transmission through the ionosphere, the specular component is of fundamental importance in radio astronomical and satellite tracking experiments.