RFRadio Horizon Calculator
radio
horizon
antenna
propagation
line of sight
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This page provides a radio horizon calculator. It falls under the converters and calculators section.
The calculator determines the radio horizon distance based on the antenna’s height above the Earth’s surface.
EXAMPLE:
- INPUT: 200 ft
- OUTPUT: 20.08 miles
Radio Horizon Equation
At VHF and higher frequencies, space wave propagation is limited to Line-of-Sight (LOS) distances. Therefore, the radio horizon defines the maximum communication range.
The radio horizon extends approximately 60% farther than the optical horizon. This is due to the bending effect of radio waves in the atmosphere.
The following equation is used in the radio horizon calculator:
Radio Horizon = sqrt(2 * h * Re)
Where:
- h = antenna height
- Re = effective radius of the Earth
As mentioned earlier, the radio horizon is primarily dependent on the antenna height.
