Editing Skip distance

{{Short description|Distance a radio wave travels in propagation}}
{{Refimprove|Date July 2012|date=July 2012}}

A '''skip distance''' is the distance a [[radio wave]] travels, usually including a hop in the [[ionosphere]].  A skip distance is a distance on the Earth's surface between the two points where [[radio waves]] from a [[transmitter]], refracted downwards by different layers of the [[ionosphere]], fall. It also represents how far a [[radio wave]] has travelled per hop on the Earth's surface, for [[radio waves]] such as the [[short wave]] (SW) radio signals that employ continuous [[Reflection (physics)|reflections]] for transmission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tpub.com/neets/book10/40f.htm|title=Skip Distance|accessdate=2012-07-15}}</ref>

==Propagation Path==

[[Radio waves]] from a particular transmitting antenna do not all get refracted by a particular layer of the ionosphere; some are absorbed, some refracted while a portion escapes to the next layer. At this higher layer, there is a possibility of this radio wave being bent downwards to earth again. This bending happens because each layer of the ionosphere has a [[refractive index]] that varies from that of the others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/afwa/U3.htm|title=Radio-Frequency Communication|accessdate=2012-07-15}}</ref> Because of the differing heights of refraction, or [[apparent reflection]], the radio waves hit the earth surface at different points hence generating the skip distance.  Skip distance is greatest during the night when the ionosphere is the highest.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media/pdf/4611.pdf Principles of Radio Wave Propagation]
*[http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/8501031.pdf Radio Waves and Communications Distance]

==See also==
[[Maximum usable frequency]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skip Distance}}
[[Category:Radio]]


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