Radiowave Propagation in Communications was written with two basic
objec- tives: (l) to present an up-to-date review of the major radiowave
propagation phenomena which hinder reliable space communications, and
(2) to describe how these propagation phenomena affect the design and
performance of satellite communications systems. Earth-orbiting
satellites are employed extensively for the relay of information in a
vast array of telecommunications, meteorological, government, and sci-
entific applications. Satellite systems rely on the transmission of
radiowaves to and from the satellite and are dependent on the
propagation characteristics of the transmission path, primarily the
earth's atmosphere. Radiowave propagation thus plays a very important
part in the design and ultimate performance of space communications
systems. This book presents, for the first time, the meshing in a single
publication of the fundamentals of radiowave propagation factors with a
discussion of the practical consequences of these factors on satellite
communications systems. Two major subfie1ds are involved in this book.
Radiowave propagation, which is basically applied electromagnetic
theory, provides the theory and an- alytical tools for the first several
chapters. Later chapters then apply propagation effects to the field of
electrical engineering involved with satellite communi- cations. The
material progresses from the essential aspects of radiowave prop-
agation to the application of practical methods and techniques in the
design and performance of satellite communications systems.
