Vertical vs. Horizontal Polarization – A Perspective and Some Encouragement

ne thing you will hear about in VHF and above circles is that dissimilar antenna polarization will create a loss of 20 dB between stations. There is truth in this: If the stations in question are literally talking point-to-point or “line of sight,” the loss in signal strength is real. However, if any of the common propagation modes are involved: Tropo, Sporadic-E (E), or even meteor scatter, the genuine impact of dissimilar polarization is greatly minimized, and may even be undetectable. While the accuracy of the statement can’t be questioned, the true impact of any polarization difference is greatly affected by your specific operating conditions. This is