Long range V.H.F. air/ground communications

In recent years among airlines and civil aviation administrations interest has developed in the use of v.h.f. radiotelephony for air ground communications at ranges much in excess of those conventionally regarded as the maximum obtainable. The paper reviews the reasons for this development, describes a series of tests conducted from an experimental station in the Persian Gulf and analyses the results obtained. The possibilities of developments to achieve further increases in range are discussed.