A radar oriented ionospheric channel model based on ray-tracing theory

A ionospheric channel model based on raytracing theory is here proposed. Several HF ionospheric channel models based on statistical approach have been presented. The here proposed model combines the statistical method with the deterministic method, using a raytracing approach. By means of raytracing we are able to simulate any ionospheric channel condition by varying the transmission frequency in the HF band, the elevation angle, the transmitter geographical coordinates, the season, the time of day and the solar activity. The here proposed model is a useful tool to simulate a signal received by an OTH (Over-The-Horizon) radar, that uses the ionosphere as transmission channel.