VERY LOW FREQUENCY
Communications Systems Glossary
Communications Systems — Radio frequency — Very low frequency
Information on Very low frequency (VLF)
The very low frequency (VLF) band is a radio-frequency (RF) band in the range 3-30 kHz. VLF suffers from the same difficulties associated with ELF: small bandwidths are available; and antennas are large and inefficient, leading to low radiated powers. However, VLF has similar advantages to ELF and has low attenuation through the atmosphere and through seawater and is therefore used for some submarine communications and maritime radio navigation systems. The band has more use for communications than ELF since it has a bandwidth that is large enough to provide reliable communications. Propagation is primarily by surface wave and has little seasonal or diurnal variation. However, communications are prone to static and to interference from other radio frequencies.
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