The problem of the interaction of microwaves with a radially inhomogeneous plasma column confined by an impressed axial static magnetic field is treated analytically. Extensive numerical results for the backscattering cross sections are presented for various interesting ranges of the parameters involved. It is found that the often‐used homogeneous model for interpretation of experimental data can sometimes lead to ambiguous results. This ambiguity arises because of the interdependence of the average plasma frequency, the gyrofrequency, and the inhomogeneity of the plasma density distribution. Further measurements are suggested to distinguish these effects.