Propagation test on 955.5 Mc, 1,965 Mc, and 6,730 Mc

THE rapidly expanding need for communications felt by United Gas Pipe Line Company indicated an examination of the new communication medium, microwave relay. Work by Bullington,1 Crawford and Jakes,2 Durkee,3 Millar and Byam,4 Thompson,5 and others, provided valuable information for system planning and operation in most areas of the United States. In the Gulf South area, locale of the company´s operations, no such information was available. Rumors, difficult to prove or disprove, were current concerning the propagation difficulties encountered by early systems in the area. In this almost subtropical section of the country, humidity variations were known to be high. Temperature inversion also had to be considered. Previous observations of very-high-frequency systems and a test at 960 mc (megacycles) indicated the possibility of unusual conditions at the higher frequencies of 2,000 and 6,700 mc.