Rain Scatter in the Troposphere

Scatter from raindrops is a special case of troposcatter practical in the 1296-MHz to 10-GHz range. Stations simply point their antennas toward a common area of rain. A certain portion of radio energy is scattered by the raindrops, making possible over-the-horizon or obstructed-path contacts, even with low power. The theoretical range for

rain scatter is as great as 600 km (370 mi), but the experience of amateurs in the microwave bands suggests that expected distances are less than 200 km (120 mi). Snow and hail make less efficient scattering media unless the ice particles are par- tially melted. Smoke and dust particles are too small for ex- traordinary scattering, even in the microwave bands.