Investigation of Short-Range Radiowave Propagation at HF/VHF Frequencies in a Forested Environment

Short-range radiowave propagation measurements are conducted in a loblolly pine forest and an open field at frequencies from 20 to 100 MHz. The measurement results are processed and the propagation constant of the dominant propagation mechanism is extracted. Comparison of the forest and the open field results shows a distinct resonance behavior for forest propagation in the frequency band from 33 to 42 MHz. The observed phenomena are corroborated by full-wave simulation results.