FM broadcasting
VHF Radio waves do not travel far beyond the visual horizon, so reception distances for FM stations are usually limited to 30–40 miles (50–65 km) They can also be blocked by hills or buildings.
Microwave transmission
The next higher part of the radio electromagnetic spectrum, where the frequencies are above 30 GHz and below 100 GHz, are called "millimeter waves" because their wavelengths are conveniently measured in millimeters, and their wavelengths range from 10 mm down to 3.0 mm (Higher frequency waves are smaller in wavelength). Radio waves in this band are usually strongly attenuated by the Earthly atmosphere and particles contained in it, especially during wet weather. Also, in a wide band of frequencies around 60 GHz, the radio waves are strongly attenuated by molecular oxygen in the atmosphere. The electronic technologies needed in the millimeter wave band are also much more difficult to utilize than those of the microwave band.Microwave radio relay is a technology widely used in the 1950s and 1960s for transmitting signals, such as long-distance telephone calls and television programs between two terrestrial points on a narrow beam of microwaves. In microwave radio relay, microwaves are transmitted on a line of sight path between relay stations using directional antennas, forming a fixed radio connection between the two points. The requirement of a line of sight limits the separation between stations to the visual horizon, about 30 to 50 miles. Before the widespread use of communications satellites, chains of microwave relay stations were used to transmit telecommunication signals over transcontinental distances.