Maximum Usable Frequency Forecast Model Based on Real‐Time Oblique Sounding Data
Abstract High‐frequency (HF) communication has played a critical role in various fields, including military communications, disaster response, and global broadcasting, due to its unique advantages, such as long‐range capability, no need for repeaters, low cost, and flexible deployment. The accurate...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Space Weather |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025SW004346 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Abstract High‐frequency (HF) communication has played a critical role in various fields, including military communications, disaster response, and global broadcasting, due to its unique advantages, such as long‐range capability, no need for repeaters, low cost, and flexible deployment. The accurate forecast of the Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) is one of the key technologies in HF communication, and it has been a widely discussed topic. To further improve the forecasting accuracy of the MUF model, a real‐time sounding‐based MUF forecast model is proposed. This model consists of four steps: (a) Obtaining the Maximum Observed Frequency based on the ionograms of the real‐time oblique sounding system. Then, calculating the corresponding foF2 at the midpoint of the oblique sounding circuit path using ray‐tracing theory; (b) Using the equal‐weighting method based on the data measured in the previous 7 days to forecast the foF2 for the following day; (c) Obtaining the foF2 at the unknown circuit midpoint using the kriging spatial interpolation method; (d) Calculating the MUF corresponding to the foF2 using the MINIMUF model. To verify the proposed method, an experiment has been finished utilizing ionospheric sounding data collected from Wuhan to eight other stations from April 23 to 20 May 2024. The result shows that the mean absolute errors (MAE) between the ITU, VOACAP models, and the proposed model are 3.23, 3.04, and 2.73 MHz, respectively, and the mean root mean square errors (RMSE) correspondingly are 3.87, 3.69, and 3.22 MHz. This study can provide technical support for real‐time frequency selection in HF communication. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1542-7390 |