Modern Radio Theory: Diffraction

A brief demo of diffraction in a city for different UHF frequencies.
Diffraction occurs when a signal hits an obstacle and the wave bends beyond it. The diffraction angle depends upon the obstacle height, distance and wavelength.
In this demo, a tower on a building is shown with line of sight (LOS), then diffraction, then different frequencies and finally with increased height.
Selecting the right frequency for your local environment will allow you to work beyond obstacles, with a "diffraction loss". The loss decreases as a receiver moves away from an obstacle and the angle becomes less steep.
Selecting a high frequency eg. 5GHz will increase diffraction loss to the point that the effect is indistinguishable from line of sight.
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Demo created with CloudRF's GPU engine and 2m LiDAR data for Gloucester, UK. The diffraction model used is Huygens which is included as an option for models with the exception of ITM which has a more sophisticated formula capable of simulating multiple obstacles.
cloudrf.com