PROPAGATION OF 8.6-MILLIMETER RADIO WAVES OVER A 50 MILE PATH

Abstract

The signal source was a type 5789 Sylvania klystron which was part of the transmitting equipment located on Cheyenne Mountain. The antenna used at the transmitter was a conical horn 1.16 in. in diameter with a gain of 20 db. Simultaneous measurements were made at = 3.2 cm over the line-of-sight path as a means of comparison with themillimeter data. A Raytheon 2K39 reflex klystron operating as a CW generator was used as the signal source. The receiver for the 8.6-mm signal was a conventional superheterodyne with a Raytheon QK 291 reflex klystron as the local oscillator. The median signal level for 8.6-mm waves was 10.4 db below the free-space value and 6 db below the value calculated by taking into account the oxygen and water vapor absorption. The 3.2-cm median signal level was 1.5 db above the free-space value. No short-time fluctuations were noted in the angle of arrival of 8.6-mm waves despite large variations in signal level. Slow fluctuations in the signal level of the 2 frequencies correlated fairly well for periods longer than 15 sec. Rapid scintillations in the 8.6-mm waves, which on occasion were greater than 16 db from maxima to minima, had no counterpart in the 3.2-cm waves.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 30, 1953
Accession Number
AD0020454

Entities

People

  • A. W. Straiton
  • C. D. Tipton
  • C. W. Tolbert

Organizations

  • University of Texas at Austin

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Angle Of Arrival
  • Calibration
  • Electromagnetic Wave Propagation
  • Electron Tubes
  • Engineering
  • High Pressure
  • Klystrons
  • Local Oscillators
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Moisture Content
  • Radio Waves
  • Reflex Klystrons
  • Standards
  • Transmitting
  • Water Vapor

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electronics Engineering
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Radar Systems Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Space