GROUND WAVE PROPAGATION

• The waves, which while traveling, glide over the

earth's surface are called ground waves.
• The ground wave is also called surface wave as the
wave passes over the surface of the earth.
• Ground waves are always vertically polarized
(produced by vertical antennas) .
• The vertical antennas are the antennas in which
the electromagnetic waves are vertically polarized
i.e., electric field vectors of electromagnetic waves
are vertical with respect to ground.

• Any horizontal component of the electric field

vectors in contact with the ground gets short
circuited.
• When the ground waves propagate along the
surface of the earth, the charges are induced on
the earth's surface.
• The number and polarity of these charges keep
on changing with the intensity and location of
the wave field.
• This variation causes the constitution of a
current.
• In carrying this current, the earth behaves like
a leaky capacitor.
• As the wave travels over the surface, it gets
weakened due to absorption of some of its
energy.
• This absorption, in fact, is the power loss in the
earth's resistance due to the flow of current.
• This energy loss is partly replenished by the
diffraction of energy, downward, from the
portion of the wave present some what above
the immediate surface of the earth. This
process is shown in Fig.
• The earth’s attenuation increases as frequency
increases. So this mode of propagation is suitable
for low and medium frequency i.e., upto 2 𝑀𝐻𝑧
only.
• It is also called as medium wave propagation. All
the broadcast signals received during day time is
due to ground wave propagation.
• Along with the ground attenuation, the ground
waves or surface waves are suffered due to the
diffraction and tilt in the wave front.
• As the ground wave propagates over a surface of
the earth, the wave front gradually tilts more and
more. As the wave front tilts more and more, the
more electric field component gets short circuited.

• Hence the strength of the signal gradually

decreases with increase in the tilt.
• At a particular distance from the transmitter,
the ground wave completely dies due to the
attenuation as a result of more and more tilt of
the wave front.
• The phenomenon of wave tilting in successive
wave front is shown in below Fig. in which 𝑇1,
𝑇2, 𝑇3, 𝑇4 and 𝑇5 are the tilting angles in
increasing order and 𝑊1, 𝑊2, 𝑊3, 𝑊4 and 𝑊5
wave fronts.
In general, surface of the earth is considered to
be a plane if the distance between the
transmitters and the receiver is less than the
minimum barrier distance 𝑑 given by expression
;
 Salient Features of Ground Wave Propagation
• The ground waves propagate along the surface of
the earth.
• When the ground waves propagate along the
surface of the earth, the charges are induced on
the surface of the earth. These charges travel
along the wave and hence the current gets
induced.
• While carrying induced current, the earth acts as a
leaky capacitor.
• The ground waves are produced in vertically
polarized antennas which are placed very close to
surface of the earth.

• The ground waves are important at broadcast

and lower frequencies. These can be used up
to 2 MHz.
• According to the characteristics of the earth,
the strength of ground wave varies. These
waves are not affected by the changes in the
atmospheric conditions.
• The variations in surface or type of the earth
affect propagation losses considerably.
• The maximum range of ground wave
propagation depends -on the frequency and
power of the transmitter.
 DUCT PROPAGATION
• The VHF, UHF and microwave frequencies are
the frequencies which are neither propagated
along the surface of the earth nor reflected by
ionosphere.
• But in the troposphere region, the high
frequency waves are refracted and
transmission takes far beyond line-of-sight
(LOS) distance.

• An atmosphere where the dielectric constant is

assumed to decrease uniformly with height to
value equal to unity at which air density is
supposed to be zero is commonly called normal
atmosphere or standard atmosphere.
• There are different air regions or layers one above
other with different temperatures and water
vapour contents.
• In one of the regions, there is a region where
𝑑𝑁/𝑑ℎ is negative. In this region, the curvature
along which the radio waves pass is slightly greater
than that of the earth.
• Due to this, the wave originally directed almost
parallel to the surface of the earth gets trapped
in such regions.
• The energy originating in this region propagates
around curved surfaces in the form of series of
hops with successive reflections from the earth
as shown in the below Fig.

• This phenomenon is called super refraction or

duct propagation. Two boundaries of surfaces
between two air layers form a duct which guide
the radio waves between walls i.e. boundaries.
• The concepts like line of sight and diffraction
cannot be applied when the wave propagates
through duct and it is found that the energy
travels high distances round the earth without
much attenuation.
• The concept of wave trapping can be considered as a
phenomenon similar to wave guide.
• But the main difference between waveguide and duct
propagation is that in wave guide all the modes are
confined within guide only.
• But in case of duct propagation, part of energy within
duct may escape to the space as shown in the below Fig.
• There is a limit on the wavelength of the signal of
maximum value 𝜆𝑚𝑎𝑥 to be trapped in duct.
• It is the maximum wavelength for which the duct
propagation holds good. If the wavelength of the signal
exceeds the value 𝜆𝑚𝑎𝑥, then duct effect vanishes
almost completely. The value of 𝜆𝑚𝑎𝑥 is given by,
• In general, the duct height ℎ𝑑 ranges from 10 to
hundreds of meters.
• While the Δ𝑁 value is typically 50 units. So
considering these values, the phenomenon of
duct propagation is found mostly in UHF (ultra
high frequency) and microwave frequency
regions.
• Moreover the duct propagation is possible only if
height of transmitting antenna is less than that of
duct height.
• If the transmitting antenna exists considerably
above duct, there is comparatively less effect of
presence of duct on the signal either inside or
above duct.