Xref: utzoo talk.religion.newage:1426 alt.flame:1261
Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdcad!ames!ll-xn!husc6!linus!philabs!micomvax!ray
From: ray@micomvax.UUCP (Ray Dunn)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Platygaeanism
Keywords: platygaeanism, am & fm
Message-ID: <875@micomvax.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jan 88 22:40:06 GMT
References: <27455COK@PSUVMA> <4249@bellcore.bellcore.com> etc.
Reply-To: ray@micomvax.UUCP (Ray Dunn)
Organization: Philips Information Systems Ltd., St. Laurent - Que., Canada
Lines: 38
Posted: Fri Jan  8 17:40:06 1988

In article <2534@killer.UUCP> allen@sulaco.UUCP (Allen Gwinn) writes:
>In article <829@tahoe.unr.edu> malc@tahoe.unr.edu.UUCP (Malcolm L. Carlock) writes:
>>Sorry Bret, but it's AM (lower frequency) transmissions that bounce off the
>>ionosphere, not FM.
>
>I'll have to remember that, Malcolm, the next time I use my aircraft
>radio (+- 110-130 MHz AM).  To think that I might have been cleared for
>takeoff by L.A. Tower when I was in Dallas makes me mighty nervous  :-)
>
>etc. etc.

OK guys already!!  Lets try & end this before it starts a landslide!

Allen, why clutter us up with sarcasm (only) when you KNOW what Malcolm
really meant!

The important factor is not AM or FM but *WAVELENGTH*.  Teeny waves shoot
through the ionosphere (or Heavyside (or is it Appleton) layer (:-)), long
waves bounce off (then bounce off the earth again, and so on ...).

Wavelength is inversely proportional to the *FREQUENCY* of the signal.

	meters = 3*10^8/Hz

It so happens that what all non-techies call "FM" (i.e. transmissions from
"domestic" *F*requency *M*odulated radio stations) is broadcast on the so
called, *V*ery *H*igh *F*requency band, and thus has a very short wavelength
(around 3 meters).

Normal domestic "AM" (*A*mplitude *M*odulation) stations broadcast on the
Medium Wave band, around 190 to 580 meters.

I'm surprised at your 10meter comment.  As I remember, the transition from
bounce to no-bounce takes place at about 18Mhz, i.e. 16 meters, so 10meters
talks to the stars! 


Ray Dunn.  ..philabs!micomvax!ray