Skip distance
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A '''skip distance''' is the distance a [[radio wave]] travels, usually including a hop in the [[ionosphere]]. A skip distance is a distance on the earth's surface between the two points where [[radio waves]] from a [[transmitter]], refracted downwards by different layers of the [[ionosphere]], fall. It also represents how far a [[radio wave]] has travelled per hop on the earth's surface, for [[radio waves]] such as the [[short wave]] (SW) radio signals that employ continuous reflections for transmission.
[[Radio waves]] from a particular transmitting antenna do not all get refracted by a particular layer of the ionosphere; some are absorbed, some refracted while a portion escapes to the next layer. At this higher layer, there is a possibility of this radio wave being bent downwards to earth again. This bending happens because each layer of the ionosphere has a [[refractive index]] that varies from that of the others. Because of the differing heights of refraction, or [[apparent reflection]], the radio waves hit the earth surface at different points hence generating the skip distance.
[[Category:Radio terminology]]