MCI Radio Wave Propagation Practice Test

Terrain significantly impacts radio wave propagation in various ways. One of the key factors is how the physical characteristics of the land, such as hills, mountains, and valleys, can obstruct radio waves. When a radio wave encounters a large obstacle, such as a mountain, it may not be able to propagate directly to the receiver. This obstruction leads to a reduction in signal strength at the receiver's location, which is critical for communication.

In addition to obstruction, terrain can also cause diffraction, which is the bending of radio waves around obstacles. This bending allows radio waves to reach areas that are not in a direct line of sight. The extent of diffraction depends on the size of the obstacle relative to the wavelength of the radio signal. For instance, longer wavelengths tend to diffract more easily around objects than shorter wavelengths.

The other options suggest that terrain does not affect radio waves at all or only causes reflection, which ignores the complexities of how radio waves interact with the environment. While reflection can occur, it is not the only effect terrain has—obstruction and diffraction play much more significant roles in practical scenarios. Additionally, the claim that terrain improves signal strength significantly is misleading, as rough terrains can often lead to a decrease in signal quality due to obstruction and scattering of