Received background noise fluctuates randomly up and down
• The target echo also fluctuates…. Both are random variables!
• To decide if a target is present, at a given range, we need to set a threshold (constant or variable)
• Detection performance (Probability of Detection) depends of the strength of the target relative to that of the noise and the threshold setting
• Signal-To Noise Ratio and Probability of False Alarm
• Sporadic-E layer – few km thick
• F layer (~200 to 500 km altitude
• Most important layer for HF sky wave propagation
• During daylight, F region splits into 2 layers, the F1 and F2 layers
The F1 and F2 layers combine at night
F2 layer is in a continual state of flux