skip distance

American  

noun

Radio.

1. the minimum distance along the earth's surface between the position of a short-wave transmitter and the region where its signal is received after one reflection from the ionosphere.

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skip distance British  

noun

1. the shortest distance between a transmitter and a receiver that will permit reception of radio waves of a specified frequency by one reflection from the ionosphere

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Etymology

Origin of skip distance

First recorded in 1925–30