Radio Scattering in the Troposphere

The theory of radio scattering in the troposphere is modified in the light of recent observations of the fluctuations in refractive index. The theory is applied to the communication problem and yields some characteristics which are peculiar to the scattering mechanism. One characteristic imposes a limit on the maximum size of an antenna which yields its full theoretical gain. This characteristic is deduced from the prediction of diversity distance. Height gain is also deduced from diversity distance. Other characteristics are derived pertinent to the communication problem, including fading rates and frequency bandwidth of the scattering mechanism.