What types of technology utilize Radio Waves?

A dynamic technology

When certain technologies are discovered, such as electricity, these technologies are used in multiple areas. Electric energy is the basis of all current technology because without it almost any technological device would not work, we would simply go back to 2 centuries before. As important as electrical energy, was the discovery of electromagnetic waves, which have been used by many technologies, such as telecommunications, infrared technology, microwaves, and others.

It is important to know that radio waves are the lowest frequency spectrum of electromagnetic waves, being useful for almost all everyday technologies, such as mobile telephony, television, AM radio and among others.

Each of the technologies that use electromagnetic waves is of great importance today, as they have greatly influenced medicine, forms of communication, cooking, and many other applications that have undoubtedly simplified our lives. Next, we will see how electromagnetic waves, especially radio frequencies, have influenced the previously mentioned technologies.

What types of technology utilize Radio Waves?
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Radio waves in telecommunications

Modern telecommunications systems are based on radio waves, since, to achieve good communication, higher frequency spectra of electromagnetic waves are not needed, but the frequencies must be between 10KHz and 1 GHz. Greater than this measure, they can be used for other applications such as microwave technology and radar.

Radio waves travel in an alternate direction, which can be represented as a sinusoidal function, so they have certain elements that act as variables when implementing this technology. Some of the elements are the frequency (which is in the range from 10KHz to 1 GHz), the wavelength, which will determine the range of the signal emitted by the receiver, and others.

Communication systems are made up of a set of signal emitting equipment and receivers, which are programmed to emit certain signals with a certain level of frequencies, it depends on what is being transmitted, for example, the frequencies of mobile telephony to television telephony, since TV and FM radio handle the same range of frequency levels, approximately 100MHz, but telephone signals are close to 1 GHz.

Radio waves in FM radio and television technology

Radio and television technologies have impacted the world in an impressive way since they are media in which information is transmitted in real-time. It was not the same to watch a tape-recorded with a football match, to watch a game live in color, or to listen to your favorite music on a station at different times of the day. Since these technologies crowded the market, applicability methods have been sought to improve them.

FM radio technology, which means modulated frequencies, is a more advanced technology than AM, which consists of a modification of the time in the times that the wave’s cycle, which leads to less signal interference. FM radio waves can only travel in a straight line, so the signal, despite having a good frequency level, may have refraction of the signal. Even today, FM radios abound, where we can always stay tuned to news, shows, and music.

Television technology is based on a system for receiving electromagnetic waves, which are translated into images and audio. The first televisions were used with antennas, which received electromagnetic impulses, where these signals were sent to the receiver, to later be processed into audio and visual content.

These technologies would not have been possible without electromagnetic waves, especially radio waves, as it turned out to be the most efficient and fastest way to transmit information, the devices being accessible to many types of audiences.

Radios in the navy: an indispensable device

The equipment used in communications in the marine environment is equipment that does not require high frequencies in order to function efficiently. The importance of radio technologies such as VHF radios has ensured the safety of those who navigate the oceans or seas, whether for fun or work.

VHF-type radios handle frequencies around 100KHz, which do not require extremely powerful equipment to transmit or receive information. VHF radios are simple equipment to handle, they are only for transmitting voice. The main function of these teams is to report anomalies in sea voyages, including emergencies that put life at risk, which are requests for help with the term MAYDAY.

Thanks to radio waves, it is possible to handle low frequencies to achieve fluent communication with VHS radio devices. Perhaps, if only high-frequency spectra were known or handled, the wavelengths would not be appropriate for this marine application.

Technologies that require a higher spectrum of electromagnetic waves

There are technologies that require higher frequencies than radio frequencies. One technology that is used in internet applications and in the kitchen is microwave technology. The basis of this technology is the spectra greater than 1Ghz of frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Unlike radio waves, the wavelengths of this technology range from 1 meter to a millimeter, and the range on the horizon is a maximum of 40 miles. The waves emitted by microwave technology travel as a line of sight since they do not border objects such as radio waves, nor are they reflected in the ionosphere, which makes the dynamics of equipment and technology a bit expensive and complicated.

Despite some disadvantages of this technology, microwave signals provide good speeds in communication, information transmission and the Internet. Even many great technological and research feats make use of this technology, such as satellite communication, wireless networks, spacecraft, remote sensing, medical applications such as cancer detection, particle accelerators, and others.

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Conclusion

By seeing the scope of electromagnetic waves, we can see that it has been one of the great discoveries of human beings. It is fascinating how in less than a second, you can send a WhatsApp message from one continent to another, or even have video conferences. There are many other inventions that have been made thanks to this technology, and we are looking forward to new inventions as scientists and engineers work hard to find better ways to convey information.

Source

https://study.com/academy/lesson/technological-applications-of-electromagnetic-waves.html#:~:text=Radio%20waves%20are%20used%20for%20communications%20and%20radar.,to%20create%20heat%2Dsensitive%20cameras.

www.britannica.com/science/radio-wave

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_of_television

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave

www.cablefree.net/wirelesstechnology/microwave/#:~:text=Microwave%20is%20a%20line%2Dof,%2C%20video%2C%20and%20data%20information.

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