Question
What happens when antennas at opposite ends of a VHF or UHF line of sight radio link are not using the same polarization?
Answer Options
- A) The modulation sidebands might become inverted
- B) Received signal strength is reduced
- C) Signals have an echo effect
- D) Nothing significant will happen
Correct Answer: B
Explanation
If a transmitting antenna is vertically polarized but the receiving antenna is horizontally polarized (or vice-versa), the polarization mismatch prevents the receiving antenna from efficiently coupling with the incoming wave’s electric field. The receiving antenna only picks up a small fraction of the available signal.
This mismatch causes a severe loss in signal strength, meaning the received signal strength is greatly reduced. In theory, the loss can be total, but in real-world environments, reflections usually scatter the signal enough that a small amount is still received, though often not enough for a solid contact.
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