Radio Waves

Definition of Radio Waves

Discovery
Bands of Radio Waves
Uses of Radio Waves
 Radio Waves
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic
radiation best-known for their use in
communication technologies, such as television,
mobile phones and radios. These devices receive
radio waves and convert them to mechanical
vibrations in the speaker to create sound waves.
 Radio Waves
Radio waves have the longest wavelengths in the
EM spectrum, according to NASA, ranging from
about 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) to more than 62
miles (100 kilometers). They also have the lowest
frequencies, from about 3,000 cycles per second, or
3 kilohertz, up to about 300 billion hertz, or 300
gigahertz.
 DISCOVERY
Scottish physicist James
Clerk Maxwell, who
developed a unified theory
of electromagnetism in the
1870s, predicted the
existence of radio waves,
according to the
National Library of Scotlan
d
.
JAMES CLERK
MAXWELL
 DISCOVERY
In 1886, Heinrich Hertz, a German
physicist, applied Maxwell's theories to
the production and reception of radio
waves. Hertz used an induction coil and
a Leyden jar to create electromagnetic
waves. Hertz became the first person to
transmit and receive controlled radio
waves. The unit of frequency of an EM
wave — one cycle per second — is
called a hertz.
HEINRICH HERTZ
 BANDS OF THE RADIO WAVES
Band Frequency range Wavelength range

Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) <3 kHz >100 km

Very Low Frequency (VLF) 3 to 30 kHz 10 to 100 km

Low Frequency (LF) 30 to 300 kHz 1 m to 10 km

Medium Frequency (MF) 300 kHz to 3 MHz 100 m to 1 km

High Frequency (HF) 3 to 30 MHz 10 to 100 m

Very High Frequency (VHF) 30 to 300 MHz 1 to 10 m

Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 300 MHz to 3 GHz 10 cm to 1 m

Super High Frequency (SHF) 3 to 30 GHz 1 to 1 cm

Extremely High Frequency (EHF) 30 to 300 GHz 1 mm to 1 cm

 LOW TO MEDIUM FREQUENCIES
 ELF radio waves, the lowest of all radio frequencies, have a long range and are useful in
penetrating water and rock for communication with submarines and inside mines and caves.
The most powerful natural source of ELF/VLF waves is lightning, according to the
Stanford VLF Group. Waves produced by lightning strikes can bounce back and forth between
Earth and the ionosphere (the atmosphere layer with a high concentration of ions and free
electrons), according to Phys.org. These lightning disturbances can distort important radio
signals traveling to satellites.

 LF and MF radio bands include marine and aviation radio, as well as commercial AM
(amplitude modulation) radio, according to RF Page. AM radio frequency bands fall between
535 kilohertz to 1.7 megahertz, according to How Stuff Works. AM radio has a long range,
particularly at night when the ionosphere is better at refracting the waves back to earth, but it is
subject to interference that affects the sound quality. When a signal is partially blocked — for
example, by a metal-walled building such as a skyscraper — the volume of the sound is reduced
accordingly.
 HIGHER FREQUENCIES

 HF, VHF and UHF bands include FM radio, broadcast television sound, public service radio,
cellphones and GPS (global positioning system). These bands typically use "frequency
modulation" (FM) to encode, or impress, an audio or data signal onto the carrier wave. In
frequency modulation, the amplitude (maximum extent) of the signal remains constant while the
frequency is varied higher or lower at a rate and magnitude corresponding to the audio or data
signal.

 FM results in better signal quality than AM because environmental factors do not affect the
frequency the way they affect amplitude, and the receiver ignores variations in amplitude as long
as the signal remains above a minimum threshold. FM radio frequencies fall between 88
megahertz and 108 megahertz, according to How Stuff Works.
 SHORTWAVE RADIO

 Shortwave radio uses frequencies in the HF band, from about 1.7 megahertz to 30
megahertz, according to the
National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB). Within that range, the
shortwave spectrum is divided into several segments, some of which are
dedicated to regular broadcasting stations, such as the Voice of America, the
British Broadcasting Corp. and the Voice of Russia. Throughout the world, there
are hundreds of shortwave stations, according to the NASB. Shortwave stations
can be heard for thousands of miles because the signals bounce off the
ionosphere, and rebound back hundreds or thousands of miles from their point of
origin.
 HIGHEST FREQUENCY
 SHF and EHF represent the highest frequencies in the radio band and are
sometimes considered to be part of the microwave band. Molecules in the air
tend to absorb these frequencies, which limits their range and applications.
However, their short wavelengths allow signals to be directed in narrow beams
by parabolic dish antennas (satellite dish antennas). This allows for short-range
high-bandwidth communications to occur between fixed locations.
 SHF, which is affected less by the air than EHF, is used for short-range
applications such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and wireless USB (universal serial bus).
SHF can work only in line-of-sight paths as the waves tend to bounce off objects
like cars, boats and aircraft, according to the RF Page. And because the waves
bounce off objects, SHF can also be used for radar.
 ASTRONOMICAL SOURCES

 Outer space is teeming with sources of radio waves: planets,

stars, gas and dust clouds, galaxies, pulsars and even black
holes. By studying these, astronomers can learn about the
motion and chemical composition of these cosmic sources
as well as the processes that cause these emissions.
 ASTRONOMICAL SOURCES

 A radio telescope "sees" the sky very differently than it appears in

visible light. Instead of seeing point-like stars, a radio telescope picks
up distant pulsars, star-forming regions and supernova remnants.
Radio telescopes can also detect quasars, which is short for quasi-
stellar radio source. A quasar is an incredibly bright galactic core
powered by a supermassive black hole. Quasars radiate energy
broadly across the EM spectrum, but the name comes from the fact
that the first quasars to be identified emit mostly radio energy.
Quasars are highly energetic; some emit 1,000 times as much energy
as the entire Milky Way.
 ASTRONOMICAL SOURCES

 Radio astronomers often combine several smaller

telescopes, or receiving dishes, into an array in order to
make a clearer, or higher-resolution, radio image, according
to the University of Vienna. For example, the Very Large
Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico consists of 27
antennas arranged in a huge "Y" pattern that's 22 miles (36
kilometers) across.
 USES OF RADIO WAVES
 Naturally occurring radio waves are made by lightning
or by astronomical objects. Artificially generated radio
waves are used for fixed and mobile radio
communication, broadcasting, radar and other
navigation systems, communications satellites,
computer networks and innumerable other applications.
USES OF RADIO WAVES
USES OF RADIO WAVES
 QUESTIONS
 1-2. Radio waves have the _____ wavelength and lowest
_________.
 3.Who was the first one to study the Theory of
electromagnetism?
 4. Who discovered Radio Waves?
 5. Give only one band of radio wave.