Question
What type of propagation allows signals to be heard in the transmitting station’s skip zone?
Answer Options
- A) Faraday rotation
- B) Scatter
- C) Chordal hop
- D) Short-path
Correct Answer: B
Explanation
The skip zone is a dead area that cannot be reached by the ground wave (which doesn’t travel far on HF) or the skywave (which skips over it on the first hop). The primary type of propagation that fills this dead zone is scatter.
This typically occurs when radio energy that was initially propagating via skywave is scattered either by irregularities in the lower ionosphere (ionospheric scatter) or by objects on the ground far outside the skip zone (side-scatter/ground scatter). This scattered energy is enough to fill the skip zone, allowing communication, though the signals are often weak and distorted.
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