Xref: utzoo talk.religion.newage:1310 alt.flame:1038
Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdahl!ames!hao!boulder!sunybcs!rutgers!im4u!ut-sally!utah-cs!utah-gr!stride!tahoe!malc
From: malc@tahoe.unr.edu (Malcolm L. Carlock)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Platygaeanism
Summary: Correction of misconception about ionosphere
Keywords: platygaeanism
Message-ID: <829@tahoe.unr.edu>
Date: 20 Dec 87 07:07:16 GMT
References: <27455COK@PSUVMA> <4249@bellcore.bellcore.com> <1359@quad1.quad.com> <9959@shemp.UCLA.EDU>
Reply-To: malc@tahoe.unr.edu.UUCP (Malcolm L. Carlock)
Organization: Univ. of Nev., Reno-Mathematics
Lines: 41

In article <9959@shemp.UCLA.EDU> troly@CS.UCLA.EDU (Bret Jolly) writes:
>In article <1359@quad1.quad.com> oleg@quad1.quad.com (Oleg Kiselev) writes:
>>Nonsense.  If the Earth REALLY were flat I'd be able to get KPFA (a Pacifica
>>FM radio station in San Francisco) anywhere in the country, particularly here,
>>in LA. ;-)
>>
>Thanks to our friend the ionosphere you probably could get it with a suitable
>antenna system.

Sorry Bret, but it's AM (lower frequency) transmissions that bounce off the
ionosphere, not FM.

Of course, if electromagnetic waves travel along curved paths, as you suggest,
then even without the ionosphere I should be able to pick up KPFA (and WFMT
from Chicago) here in Reno, since the transmissions from these stations should
be curving gracefully right over the tops of the Rockies to the east, and
the Sierras to the west.

Interestingly, my FM receiver can't seem to pick up these stations, although
on nighttime AM I can pick up Omaha, Nebraska and points east.

If those ol' electromagnetic waves are a-curvin', they sure ain't a-curvin'
toward little ol' me!

Oh, and by the way, could you please explain what it is that determines the
radii of curvature of the (allegedly) curved paths that electronic waves
(allegedly) follow?  If some of us here in Reno could install a device that
that could curve those waves toward us (other than a golfball-sized black hole,
or are black holes not recognized under platygaeanism?), maybe we could get a
wider variety of FM programming around here.

Thanks in advance . . .


Malcolm L. Carlock
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Timesharer's Motto:  "Batches?!  We don't need no stinking batches!!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
malc@tahoe.unr.edu.UUCP			       University of Nevada, Reno

Long live KUNR-FM (NPR-affiliate) !!