Day 1: RF Wave Characteristics Flashcards

1
Q

One positive and negative iteration of a wave representing a full 360

A

Cycle

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2
Q

Time it takes to complete one cycle, measured in Seconds

A

Period

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3
Q

Number of cycles completed in one second, measured in Hertz

A

Frequency

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4
Q

Denotes the particular point in the cycle of a waveform, measured as an angle in degrees

A

Phase

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5
Q

The distance of one cycle, measured at the beginning and end of the waveform

A

Wavelength

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6
Q

Value of the power of the sine wave, often measured in decibels (dB)

A

Amplitude

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7
Q

The larger the amplitude, the more what?

A

Power the signal has

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8
Q

What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?

A

Inversely proportional; shorter wavelength, higher frequency

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9
Q

How an EM wave travels through a medium, such as the atmosphere or space, from a transmitter to a receiver

A

Signal Propagation

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10
Q

Repeat a pattern over subsequent identical periods

A

Periodic Signals

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11
Q

In most data communications, we see periodic ______ signals.

A

Analog

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12
Q

Occurs when the signal bounces off a surface in a different direction

A

Reflection

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13
Q

Occurs when the signal bends around an object

A

Diffraction

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14
Q

Occurs when the signal encounters small objects of size and gets scattered in multiple directions

A

Scattering

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15
Q

Power loss between the transmitter and receiver due to the spreading of the wave’s energy

A

Free Space Loss

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16
Q

Rapid and random changes to a wave’s amplitude, phase, and polarity caused by charged (ionized) particles as a wave travels through the Earth’s Ionosphere

A

Scintillation

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17
Q

Affects signals in the UHF frequency range the most significantly (lower frequencies)

A
  • Scintillation
  • Faraday Rotation
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18
Q

When an electromagnetic (EM) wave’s polarization direction twists as it passes through a magnetic field in a medium, like the Earth’s ionosphere

A

Faraday Rotation

19
Q

Higher frequencies are more likely to be absorbed or scattered by water and other molecules due to the shorter wavelengths being of a similar size, resulting in power loss

A

Water/Atmo Absorption

20
Q

Higher energy waves have a natural tendency to spread out faster, and therefore are more susceptible to _____.

A

Free Space Loss

21
Q

Refers to the direction of an electromagnetic wave’s E-field in reference to the earth’s surface

A

Polarization

22
Q

To adjust the orientation of your polarizer relative to the EM wave to align with it, is called what?

A

Pol’ing

23
Q

What are the two categories of polarization?

A

Linear and Circular

24
Q

What are the two linear polarization?

A

Vertical
Horizontal

25
Q

What are the two circular polarization?

A

Right hand circular
Left hand circular

26
Q

Ability to re-use same frequency and bandwidth on a transponder without interference

A

Linear Polarization Advantage

27
Q

Vertically polarized signals on a transponder will not interfere with horizontally polarized signals

A

Linear Polarization Advantage

28
Q

Precise orientation of polarizer with EM wave is required to receive full signal strength

A

Linear Polarization Disadvantage

29
Q

Any misalignment with EM wave’s orientation results in escalating power loss up to – 30dB (completely cross polarized)

A

Linear Polarization Disadvantage

30
Q

A 45-degree offset is -3dB (half power) loss (halfway between Horizontal and Vertical pols)

A

Linear Polarization Disadvantage

31
Q

Precise orientation of antenna, aperture, and/or polarizer is not required for either RH or LH. Wave passes through all orientations

A

Circular Polarization Advantage

32
Q

Circularly polarized signals on transponder will not interfere with opposite circularly polarized signals (e.g. RHCP vs LHCP)

A

Circular Polarization Advantage

33
Q

Not significantly impacted by Faraday Rotation

A

Circular Polarization Advantage

34
Q

Utilizing a circularly polarized antenna to receive linear (any degrees of orientation) incurs only a -3dB (half power) loss.
This applies for using linear to receive circular as well.

A

Circular Polarization Advantage

35
Q

If receiving antenna is designed to receive only RH or LH signals, then the energy of the opposite oriented wave will not be detectable (-30dB loss), and the equipment cannot normally be “re-oriented”

A

Circular Polarization Disadvantage

36
Q

If utilizing an Orthomode Transducer to receive both RH and LH simultaneously, you will incur a -3dB loss

A

Circular Polarization Disadvantage

37
Q

UHF Range

A

300 MHz - 1 GHz

38
Q

L Band

A

1 - 2 GHz

39
Q

S Band

A

2 - 4 GHz

40
Q

C Band

A

4 - 8 GHz

41
Q

X Band

A

8 - 12 GHz

42
Q

Ku Band

A

12 - 18 GHz

43
Q

K Band

A

18 - 27 GHz

44
Q

Ka Band

A

27 - 40 GHz