Ionospheric drift measurements at Tiruchirapalli. I - E-region results by full correlation analysis

About two-hundred spaced fading records obtained from E-region reflections over Tiruchirapalli (dip 4.8 deg N), near the edge of electrojet during the period 1973-75 have been analyzed by the full correlation method. The apparent and the true drift velocity, the characteristic velocity and the parameters of the diffraction pattern, i.e., semi-minor axis, elongation ratio, and the orientation, have been thus obtained. The daily variations of these parameters are similar to those obtained earlier for Thumba. However, the mean elongation of about 10 for the diffraction patterns is more realistic than the rather low value of about 3 obtained earlier at Thumba during similar sunspot epoch for a smaller receiver spacing.