| Ionosondes and Digisondes updated 12142002 | ||||||||||
| Background, Theory, and Links | ||||||||||
| What
Are They?
Ionosondes and Digisondes are devices that send a spectrum of radio wave pulses straight up (vertically incident to the ground). They measure the length of time it takes for a reflection to be returned, the strength of the reflection, and how high of a frequency can be reflected. From these three data points (time, strength, frequency), the device can determine ionization density, altitude of the ionization, and potential Maximum Useable Frequency (MUF). Output from ionosondes and digisondes are displayed in the form of an "ionogram", or displayed in a tabular data format. Ionosondes have been used since early/mid 20th century, but there still is no widespread deployment. Ionosondes and digisondes are primarily deployed and maintained by the US Air Force, a few universities, NOAA, and similar organizations in other countries. |
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| Links
to more information on Ionosondes and Digisondes
How do you read the Digisonde Ionogram Plots? - Pat Dyer, WA5IYX has an example Variables Explained - brief description of all of those variables (FoEs, FxEs, h'Es, etc) NGDC Overview of Vertical Sounding - NOAA's NGDC division Basic Ionosonde Theory Background to Ionospheric Sounding Case Study of an Ionosonde Move - lots of background information and details |
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| Online
Ionosonde and Digisonde Links
North
America
Europe
Asia
Australia
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