2 ms·

I think it is also worth mentioning the role of the ionosphere - which is the (charged) part of the atmosphere that will reflect radio/EM waves, and make it pos

I think it is also worth mentioning the role of the ionosphere - which is the (charged) part of the atmosphere that will reflect radio/EM waves, and make it possible to communicate with someone on the other side of the globe. The ionosphere has different layers, and is quite dynamic - depending on the sun and its activity. Basically, imagine a charged shell around the earth that reflects electromagnetic waves back, and that the properties of said shell is constantly fluctuating. Solar storms (and following northern lights) are bad news for radio communication. That's the very, very ELI5 version.

bitcharmer 3y ago
What's worth mentioning is that shortwave offers much lower transfer latency than optic fibre so it's possible to establish faster cross-continental communication over radio than trans-oceanic optic fibre cables.
cbfrench 3y ago
> Solar storms (and following northern lights) are bad news for radio communication. Although it can allow for auroral backscatter propagation on VHF, which is fascinating. https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/ham_radio/amateur-propagation/auroral-propagation.php https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/ham_radio/amateur... Definitely not good for HF though. The Sun wilding out the past few days has at least given me the opportunity to work on some stuff in the evenings that isn’t screwing around on FT8, lol.