Gene Fuller wrote:
"There is no problem with Terman`s words, but I believe you are missing
his intention."

I parsed Terman`s words carefully trying to avoid misinterpretation.

There is a RCA FM Coverage Calculator (special slide rule) pictured and
described on the internet. Text accompanies the rule. This text says the
range of the rule is for a radius of urban coverage of 1000 microvolts
per meter and a radius of rural coverage of 50 microvolts per meter.
They obviously anticipate a much higher urban noise level than found in
rural areas.

The rule has distance scales of 4 to 100 miles, and 16 to 143 miles..

The text says: "If you hold up 1 meter of wire at exactly the right
angle, this is exactly how many millionths of a volt are generated
between its ends.

If you assume that 50 microvolts per meter in the country gives an
acceptable quality signal at the receiver, you`ll be able to calculate
how far away you can reach."

There is much more text dealing with transmitter powers, broadcast
antenna types, and antenna heights. Accuracy is said to be within 10%..

I`ve never seen one of these special slide rules myself, but maybe
Walter Maxwell, Richard Fry, or someone else has and can elaborate. I
quoted the text because it contained in effect the simple statement that
1 microvolt is generated betweens the ends of a well placed 1 meter long
wire when immersed in a 1 microvolt electromagnetic field. I certainly
never expected to see that fact debated.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI