The scintillation of radio signals from satellites

Abstract

Signals from satellites 1957α2 and 1958δ2, recorded during a 20-month period, are analyzed to determine the diurnal and seasonal variations of the incidence of scintillation. Marked diurnal effects are noted, scintillation being much more frequent at night. Night-time scintillation correlates with the occurrence of ionospheric ‘spread F’ and apparently originates in inhomogeneities at heights of about 220 km and, in most cases, at latitudes greater than 40°N. Daytime scintillation appears to originate in smaller, inhomogeneous regions below 220 km and more widely distributed in latitude.