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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ham-picket-fencing

What does the ham radio term picket fencing mean?

Rapid flutter on mobile signals caused by multipath.

  1. Rapid flutter on mobile signals from multipath ✔
  2. Taking turns transmitting in a net
  3. A ground system for vertical antennas

Why: When a car moves, it passes through spots where reflected signals add and cancel. The result is a fast flutter, like running a stick along a fence.

Huh, didn't know that: Picket fencing comes from multipath, the same effect that changes signal strength when an antenna moves a few feet.

The dad joke
My radio started picket fencing. Now it wants a white one with a gate.
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Sources

  1. NCVEC 2026-2030 Technician Question Pool (Element 2), errata Feb 19, 2026 https://www.ncvec.org/downloads/2026-2030%20Technician%20Pool%20and%20Syllabus%20Public%20Release%20Feb%2019%202026.pdf

Test yourself in the game

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