If transmitter and receiver polarization are not matched, what is the effect?

• A. Reduced received power due to polarization mismatch
• B. No effect on signal strength
• C. Increased transmission range
• D. Lower battery consumption

Answer: (A)

When the transmitter and receiver polarizations don’t line up, only the portion of the transmitted electric field that lies along the receiving antenna’s polarization is captured. This reduces the received power by the square of the cosine of the misalignment angle (cos^2 theta). So full power occurs when perfectly aligned, and any misalignment lowers the received power; at 90 degrees, a linear receiver would get essentially no signal. Therefore the effect is a reduction in received power due to polarization mismatch. The other options do not fit: misalignment does affect signal strength, it does not increase range, and it does not inherently lower battery usage.