Question
What is a characteristic of skywave signals arriving at your location by both short-path and long-path propagation?
Answer Options
- A) Periodic fading approximately every 10 seconds
- B) Signal strength increased by 3 dB
- C) The signal might be cancelled causing severe attenuation
- D) A slightly delayed echo might be heard
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
A signal arriving at a receiver via both the short path (the shortest distance around the globe) and the long path (the longest distance, 180 degrees opposite) will travel vastly different distances. This results in the long-path signal arriving slightly later than the short-path signal.
This difference in arrival time can be heard as a slightly delayed echo, often referred to as ‘long-path echo’ or ‘around-the-world echo’. While the two signals can also interfere with each other and cause rapid fading (multipath), the distinct delayed echo is a definitive characteristic when both paths are open simultaneously.
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