Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun radio An electromagnetic wave refracted back to the Earth by the ionosphere.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From sky +‎ wave.

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Examples

  • Within 500 hundred miles of coastal areas by groundwave or 1200 miles skywave with reduced or changing accuracy of most developed areas a navigation system known in the UK as “DECCA” and the US and Canada as “LORAN-A” have been in operation since after WWII.

    Buckets and Engines « Climate Audit 2007

  • No skywave, no Wolfman, no cruising, no American Graffiti, no Star Wars-what a different world it would be, all because of radio signals skipping off the atmosphere.

    BlogWonks 2009

  • border blasters , which for three decades would continue to overpower U.S. stations with extremely strong signals. skywave interference at night, across the radio dial.

    Wired Top Stories Hugh Hart 2011

Comments

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  • "Amateur radio operators take advantage of conditions at the terminator (so-called "grey line" conditions) to perform long distance communications. Under good conditions, radio waves can travel along the terminator to antipodal points. This is primarily because the D layer, which absorbs high frequency signals, disappears rapidly on the dark side of the terminator line. This process is known as skywave propagation."

    -- Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Terminator_(solar)&oldid=513303865)

    January 2, 2013

  • A small part of me wants to label this magical thinking.

    January 2, 2013

  • The terminator's coming to antipodal points? Skynet or skywave? Should I be afraid? Is Tasmania on the dark side of the terminator line? Woe.

    January 2, 2013