Estimate cell tower coverage radius from antenna height, power and terrain factors.
Radio line-of-sight range is fundamentally limited by Earth curvature. The radio horizon distance from height h is d = sqrt(2*R*h), where R is Earth's effective radius (inflated by k-factor, typically 4/3 to model atmospheric refraction). Total coverage radius sums both the tower's and receiver's horizon contributions.
Radio horizon distance
horizon_km = sqrt(2 * effective_earth_radius_km * height_km)
Total coverage radius
total_radius = tower_horizon + receiver_horizon
Standard atmospheric refraction bends radio waves toward Earth's surface, extending coverage beyond pure geometric line-of-sight. The 4/3 Earth model (k=1.33) approximates this effect.
No — this models theoretical radio horizon over smooth Earth. Real-world coverage is reduced by hills, buildings, and foliage in the propagation path.