FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T3A01)

Q) What should you do if another operator reports that your station’s 2 meter signals were strong just a moment ago, but now they are weak or distorted?

A) Try moving a few feet, as random reflections may be causing multi-path distortion


NJ2X Notes:
Multi-path propagation occurs commonly with mobile and portable VHF / UHF operations. With multi-path propagation the signal received includes not only a direct line-of- sight radio wave, but also a large number of reflected radio waves.

The reflected waves can interfere with the line-of-sight wave causing distortion or poor reception.  Moving the transmitter a short distance can dramatically change the reflections thereby improving reception.

Remember this phenomena the next time you or a friend are having difficulty connecting a PC to wifi.  Moving the PC only a short distance can make enough of a difference that you are able to connect (and amaze your friend).