The Scattering of Radio Waves

A review of the recent work on scattering draws attention to a number of discrepancies in the interpretation of the data. Most workers believe that the scattering is due to clouds in the E layer. The experiments described in this paper indicate that there are several types of scattering phenomena. It is concluded that the most common source of scatter is the reflection of waves from irregularities on the surface of the earth. In this case the wave path is from the sender of F layer - earth - F layer and hence to receiver, i e. is analogous to a 2 × F reflection. The characteristics of the different types of scattering and their effects on the propagation of short waves are discussed.