novice From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2012, 90 posts, RR: 0 Posted (2 years 6 months 3 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 2708 times:
"Omega is a long-range global navigation system that uses ground-based beacons and operates in the very low frequency (VLF, 3 to 30 kHz) band using surface-wave propagation"
Can anyone explain what surface-wave propagation is as trusty is of no avail
With respect to surface-wave propagation, Omega works because, at its frequencies, the radio waves "see" the space between the earth surface and the ionosphere as a waveguide and propagate with very little loss or distortion over very large distances. Basically, Omega was tuned to use match the radio-transmission characteristics of the atmosphere so the waves would be contained between the surface and the ionosphere and propagate following the curvature of the earth.