RADIO COMMUNICATION (RADIO) Radio is the wireless transmission of signals through free space by electromagnetic radiation of a frequency significantly

below that of visible light, in the radio frequency range, from about 30 kHz to 300 GHz. These waves are called radio waves. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space.

The transmission of information from one place using radio waves as carriers, and their reception at another distant place is known as radio communications. Since a radio wave is an electromagnetic wave, it travels freely in air. A typical radio communication system has two main components: a transmitter and a receiver. At the transmitting end, audio frequency (AF) signals are converted into radio frequency (RF) for transmission. On the receiving end, a radio receiver reconverts the RF signal into an AF signal. Through this system sound at a transmitting station is forwarded to the receiving end and reproduced there.

EXAMPLES OF RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Broadcasting

Satellite communication

Wireless local area network (WLAN)

Mobile telephony

Mobile Web

HISTORY
James Clerk Maxwell showed mathematically that electromagnetic waves could propagate through free space. Heinrich Rudolf Hertz and many others demonstrated radio wave propagation on a laboratory scale. Nikola Tesla experimentally demonstrated the transmission and radiation of radio frequency energy in 1892 and 1893 proposing that it might be used for the telecommunication of information. In 1895, Marconi built a wireless system capable of transmitting signals at long distances (1.5 mi./ 2.4 km). From Marconi's experiments, the phenomenon that transmission range is proportional to the square of antenna height is known as "Marconi's law". This formula represents a physical law that radio devices use.

 Guglielmo Marconi demonstrated application of radio in commercial, military and marine communications and started a company for the development and propagation of radio communication services and equipment. The field of radio development attracted many researchers, and bitter arguments over the true "inventor of radio" persist to this day. In 1907, Marconi established the first commercial transatlantic radio communications service, between Clifden, Ireland and Glace Bay, Newfoundland. The invention of amplitude-modulated (AM) radio, so that more than one station can send signals (as opposed to spark-gap radio, where one transmitter covers the entire bandwidth of the spectrum) is attributed to Reginald Fessenden and Lee de Forest. On Christmas Eve1906, Reginald Fessenden used an Alexanderson alternator and rotary spark-gap transmitter to make the first radio audio broadcast, from Brant Rock, Massachusetts. Ships at sea heard a broadcast that included Fessenden playing O Holy Night on the violin and reading a passage from the Bible.

Inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong is credited with developing many of the features of radio as it is known today. Armstrong patented three important inventions that made today's radio possible. Regeneration, the superheterodyne circuit and wide-band frequency modulation or FM. Regeneration or the use of positive feedback greatly increased the amplitude of received radio signals to the point where they could be heard without headphones. The superhet simplified radio receivers by doing away with the need for several tuning controls. It made radios more sensitive and selective as well. FM gave listeners a static-free experience with better sound quality and fidelity than AM. With the advent of the space program, radio engineers realized they could now get long-range communications at the higher frequencies by using satellites as radio relay stations. Thus came the development of satellite communications systems. Today, practically all of our long-range communication goes through satellite links. Since the first communications satellite was placed in orbit, satellites have been thought of as "the" communications system. However, as seen from a military viewpoint, satellite systemsand most other radio systemshave some weaknesses.

The electromagnetic spectrum

 Super Low and Extra Low Frequency bands 300 Hz - 3 kHz. Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) 3 - 30 kHz Very Low Frequency (VLF) 30 - 300 kHz Low Frequency (LF) 300 kHz - 3 MHz Medium Frequency (MF) 3 - 30 MHz High Frequency (HF) 30 - 300 MHz Very High Frequency (VHF) 300 MHz - 3 GHz Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 3 - 30 GHz. Super High Frequency (SHF) 30 - 300 GHz. Extra High Frequency (EHF) Infrared Visible Light Ultraviolet X rays Gamma Rays

RADIO SPECTRUM
Radio spectrum refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies that is, frequencies lower than around 300 GHz (or, equivalently, wavelengths longer than about 1 mm). Different parts of the radio spectrum are used for different radio transmission technologies and applications. Radio spectrum is typically government regulated in developed countries and, in some cases, is sold or licensed to operators of private radio transmission systems (for example, cellular telephone operators or broadcast television stations). Ranges of allocated frequencies are often referred to by their provisioned use (for example, cellular spectrum or television spectrum).

Band Number 4 5 6

Table of ITU Radio Bands Frequency Symbols Range VLF LF MF 3 to 30 kHz 30 to 300 kHz 300 to 3000 kHz

Wavelength Range 10 to 100 km 1 to 10 km 100 to 1000 m

7
8 9

HF
VHF UHF

3 to 30 MHz
30 to 300 MHz

10 to 100 m
1 to 10 m 10 to 100 cm

10
11 12

SHF
EHF THF

300 to 3000 MHz 3 to 30 GHz

30 to 300 GHz

1 to 10 cm
1 to 10 mm 0.1 to 1 mm

300 to 3000 GHz

APPLICATION

Air band Amateur radio frequencies Marine band Citizens' band and personal radio services Industrial, scientific, medical Land mobile bands Radio control Radar