telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

, a path profile is a graphic representation of the physical features of a

propagation Propagation can refer to: *Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism *Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials *Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda *Reproduction, and other forms ...

path in the vertical plane containing both endpoints of the path, showing the surface of the Earth and including trees, buildings, and other features that may obstruct the

radio signal Radio waves (formerly called Hertzian waves) are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies below 300 gigahertz (GHz) and wavelengths g ...

. Profiles are drawn either with an effective Earth radius simulated by a parabolic arc--in which case the ray paths are drawn as straight lines--or with a ''"flat Earth"--'' in which case the ray paths are drawn as parabolic arcs.

References

Radio frequency propagation {{radio-comm-stub