A User's Guide to RAYTRACE
Abstract
The operation of the RAYTRACE (version 4.3) software for ionospheric raytracing is explained. First, the installation and setup of the program are discussed. Instructions for routine operation are given, followed by several tutorial examples. Some suggestions for regular usage are given. The final section and the appendices contain useful material, including the source code listing. The RAYTRACE computer program has a number of distinctive capabilities. It performs fully three-dimensional HF/VHF raytracing through a climatological ionosphere. Single or multiple rays may be traced during a single run, allowing the user greater flexibility in modeling. The size of the increments used in the raypath calculation is user adjustable so that appropriate compromises may be made between execution time and accuracy. The program can trace rays between points at different altitudes. Cutoff criteria may be set to stop the calculation at a particular range or altitude. RAYTRACE calculates a number of important quantities about the ray. The change in signal intensity due to distance and ionospheric focusing or defocusing is calculated. The group and phase path length values are both calculated. The location, as well as information on the direction of the ray, are calculated for the end point of the ray and any intervening earth impact points (collectively these are called the data points for the ray). Keywords: Ionospheric propagation ray tracing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA205461
Entities
People
- Eric L. Strobel
- Michael H. Reilly
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory