To Our Readers Changes: Readers of this publication are encouraged to submit suggestions and changes that will improve it. Recommendations may be sent directly to Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Doctrine Division (C 42), 3300 Russell Road, Suite 318A, Quantico, VA 22134-5021 or by fax to 703-784-2917 (DSN 278-2917) or by E-mail to smb@doctrine div@mccdc. Recommendations should include the following information: • • • Location of change Publication number and title Current page number Paragraph number (if applicable) Line number Figure or table number (if applicable) Nature of change Add, delete Proposed new text, preferably doublespaced and typewritten Justification and/or source of change Additional copies: A printed copy of this publication may be obtained from Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, GA 317045001, by following the instructions in MCBul 5600, Marine Corps Doctrinal Publications Status. An electronic copy may be obtained from the Doctrine Division, MCCDC, world wide web home page which is found at the following universal reference locator: http://www.doctrine.quantico.usmc.mil. Unless otherwise stated, whenever the masculine or feminine gender is used, both men and women are included. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Headquarters United States Marine Corps Washington, D.C. 20380-1775 1 June 1999 FOREWORD Communications and information systems (CIS) support collecting, processing, and exchanging information. CIS automate routine functions, freeing commanders and staffs to focus on the aspects of command and control that require experience, judgment, and intuition. Personnel who install, operate, and maintain CIS play a key role in the command and control of the Marine airground task force (MAGTF). It is an understatement to say that the success of the MAGTF in the modern battlespace depends on the effective employment of CIS. One of the most important networks of the MAGTF CIS architecture is single-channel radio (SCR). SCR is the principal means of communications support for maneuver units. SCR communications equipment is easy to operate, and networks are easily established, rapidly reconfigured, and, most importantly, easily maintained on the move. SCR provides secure voice communication and supports limited data information exchange. MAGTF SCR equipment is fielded in many configurations and includes hand-held, manpack, vehicle-mounted, bench-mounted, and sheltered radios. These radios operate in simplex and half-duplex modes. The most widely employed tactical radios provide integrated communications security (COMSEC) and jam resistance through frequency hopping. Tactical SCRs operate in the three military radio frequency bands (high frequency [HF], very high frequency [VHF], and ultrahigh frequency [UHF]). In the HF band, SCR can support long-range communications, albeit at the expense of mobility. SCR in the VHF and UHF bands is normally limited to line of sight. SCR satellite communications (SATCOM) provide mobility, flexibility, and ease of operation with unlimited range. Limitations of SCR include susceptibility to enemy electronic warfare; cosite, footprint, terrain, and atmospheric interference; the requirement for close coordination and detailed planning; a need for common timing, frequency, and equipment; and limited spectrum availability. The latter is particularly critical for SATCOM. Of all the variables affecting single-channel radio communications, the one factor that an operator has the most control over is the antenna. With the right antenna, an operator can change a marginal net into a reliable net. Marine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 6-22D, A ntenna Handbook , gives operators the knowledge to properly select and employ antennas to provide the strongest possible signal at the receiving station of the circuit. MCRP 6-22D builds on the doctrinal foundation established in Marine Corps Warfighting Publication (MCWP) 6-22, Communications and Information Systems. This handbook is intended not only for CIS officers and radio operators, but for all personnel desiring information about antenna fundamentals. MCRP 6-22D supersedes Fleet Marine Force Reference Publication (FMFRP) 3-34, Field Antenna Handbook, dated 5 March 1991. Reviewed and approved this date. BY DIRECTION OF THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS J. E. RHODES Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps Commanding General Marine Corps Combat Development Command DISTRIBUTION: 144 000062 00