Book Description
This report describes several studies and the development of computer techniques toward improving the capability of predicting and assessing HF propagation through the ionosphere. These studies included the development of vertical electron density models which can accurately represent observed oblique and vertical ionograms. These models have been represented by a series of functions which describe the individual ionospheric layers and which are analytically integratable to yield expected ray path trajectories. A computer program has been written which incorporates these features and yields results which are two orders of magnitude faster than those available using conventional numerical ray tracing techniques. The technique has been applied to several studies including the simulation of the backscatter leading edge of oblique ionograms and the determination of HF circuit parameters for a specified ground coverage. The results are presented as a function of the change in individual ionospheric layer parameters. (Author).