- #1
paul_harris77
- 52
- 0
Hi all
Sorry if this is quite a basic concept, but I am confused about RF signals. The way I currently understand it is that radio waves in space are an oscillating electric and magnetic field at 90 degrees to each other traveling through a medium. However, when you pass a radio wave into a conductor, in an ideal case, it would absorb all of the radio wave power and seize becoming an oscillating electric and magnetic field (radio wave). Instead it would induce an alternating AC current/voltage at the same frequency as the RF. Is this correct?
In which case does this mean that an RF signal generator connected to a co-axial cable produces RF AC current/voltage and not pure radio waves? I have been confused by people telling me that the signal traveling down the co-axial cable is an EM radio wave (just an electric field/magnetic field) produced by the sig-gen and not an electrical signal with current and voltage.
Thanks!
Paul
Sorry if this is quite a basic concept, but I am confused about RF signals. The way I currently understand it is that radio waves in space are an oscillating electric and magnetic field at 90 degrees to each other traveling through a medium. However, when you pass a radio wave into a conductor, in an ideal case, it would absorb all of the radio wave power and seize becoming an oscillating electric and magnetic field (radio wave). Instead it would induce an alternating AC current/voltage at the same frequency as the RF. Is this correct?
In which case does this mean that an RF signal generator connected to a co-axial cable produces RF AC current/voltage and not pure radio waves? I have been confused by people telling me that the signal traveling down the co-axial cable is an EM radio wave (just an electric field/magnetic field) produced by the sig-gen and not an electrical signal with current and voltage.
Thanks!
Paul