What is Radio: Definition and 691 Discussions

Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to an antenna which radiates the waves, and received by another antenna connected to a radio receiver. Radio is very widely used in modern technology, in radio communication, radar, radio navigation, remote control, remote sensing and other applications.
In radio communication, used in radio and television broadcasting, cell phones, two-way radios, wireless networking and satellite communication among numerous other uses, radio waves are used to carry information across space from a transmitter to a receiver, by modulating the radio signal (impressing an information signal on the radio wave by varying some aspect of the wave) in the transmitter. In radar, used to locate and track objects like aircraft, ships, spacecraft and missiles, a beam of radio waves emitted by a radar transmitter reflects off the target object, and the reflected waves reveal the object's location. In radio navigation systems such as GPS and VOR, a mobile receiver accepts radio signals from navigational radio beacons whose position is known, and by precisely measuring the arrival time of the radio waves the receiver can calculate its position on Earth. In wireless radio remote control devices like drones, garage door openers, and keyless entry systems, radio signals transmitted from a controller device control the actions of a remote device.
Applications of radio waves which do not involve transmitting the waves significant distances, such as RF heating used in industrial processes and microwave ovens, and medical uses such as diathermy and MRI machines, are not usually called radio. The noun radio is also used to mean a broadcast radio receiver.
Radio waves were first identified and studied by German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1886. The first practical radio transmitters and receivers were developed around 1895–1896 by Italian Guglielmo Marconi, and radio began to be used commercially around 1900. To prevent interference between users, the emission of radio waves is regulated by law, coordinated by an international body called the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which allocates frequency bands in the radio spectrum for different uses.

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  1. Cyrus

    Stuck in AM Radio Mode: Ranting and Raving on the Airwaves

    I accidently got into AM radio mode in my car for the last two days, and I can't figure out how to take it back into FM because there isn't a stupid AM/FM button. I had to have hit some funky combination of buttons to go into AM and now I am stuck. ANYWAYS, I've been stuck with this AM radio for...
  2. turbo

    Commercial FM radio is driving me nuts

    My Sony 400-CD carousel died last week, and I have been waiting all that time for a replacement to arrive. My collection (about 75% of it fits in that player) is a mix of blues, rock, country, country/rock (think Poco, Buffalo Springfield, etc), bluegrass, R&B, etc. I unloaded all my CDs from...
  3. T

    Why Does My Body Act as a Radio Receiver?

    Why does my body act as a radio Receiver.Last year i accidently grabed the socket to my computer speakers while they were turned on at the power outlet.The computer speakers were not connected to the computer and we do not have a radio receiver at all in our home.I only held the plug for one...
  4. M

    Make Low Frequency Radio: Where to Begin

    can someone tell me how to make a radio that would tune between about 1000 and 10000 Hz please. ? Or at least where to begin.
  5. K

    Radio waves: constructive and destructive interference 1-dimension

    Homework Statement Two coherent sources of radio waves, A and B, are 5.00 m apart. Each source emits waves with wavelength 6.00 m. Consider points only along the line connecting the two sources. (a) At what distance from source A is there constructive interference between points A and B...
  6. M

    Number of photons/volume surrounding radio transmitter

    Homework Statement Seeking a method of calculating the number of photons instantaneously present within a given volume surrounding a radio transmitter at given power and frequency. Homework Equations E=hv, and other equations involving power and wavelength. The Attempt at a...
  7. P

    Two Radio Transmitters, Interference, and Waves

    Homework Statement FM station KCOM ("All commercials, all the time") transmit simultaneously, at a frequency of 97.1 MHz, from two broadcast towers placed precisely 32.44 m apart along a north-south line. (a) What is the wavelength of KCOM's transmissions? Homework Equations...
  8. S

    Wavelength of carrier frequency radio signal

    Homework Statement Your favorite radio FM radio station broadcasts at a carrier frequency of 94.7 Megahertz. What is the wavelength of the carrier frequency radio signal? Homework Equations velocity=wavelength(frequency) The Attempt at a Solution 94.7x10^-6(w)= 3x10^8 w= 3.2...
  9. cronxeh

    Amateur Radio: Lurking Frequencies & Conversations in NY

    So I did a little search and I can't seem to find any threads regarding amateur radio. Is anyone a ham out there and what frequencies do you lurk at and where? I'm a new ham, don't know why I decided to get into it but timing seems to be about right with new radios like Yaesu VX-8R and many...
  10. M

    Calculating Wavelength of Radio 4 FM & Explaining Loss in Deep Valleys

    Homework Statement Radio 4 transmits on FM at a frequency of 92.5 MHz Calculate the wavelength and use it to explain why listeners in deep valleys cannot pick up radio 4 FM. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  11. P

    Testing VHF Radio Wave Performance with Different Antennas

    Hi. I am designing an experiment focused on radio waves for my experiment and this is the basis of it: Three antenna's will be tested for point to point transmission (VHF): [ 144 MHz ] >>3/4 Wave antenna >>1/4 Wave antenna >>5/8 Antenna (Best Angle of Radiation Usually) These...
  12. P

    VHF Radio Experiment: Testing Antennas & Polarization

    Hi. I have been assigned the task of designing an interesting experiment involving waves of any kind for physics class. I have chosen to focus on radio waves for my experiment and this is the basis of it: Three antenna's will be tested for point to point transmission (VHF): [ 144 MHz ]...
  13. Ivan Seeking

    How to hallucinate with ping-pong balls and a radio

    http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/graphics/011109_hacking_your_brain/
  14. B

    Magnetic field in radio lobes of cygnus (mainly just substition work)

    Homework Statement I have a radio map and radio spectrum of Cygnus A and have been asked to find the total energy of the source, the magnetic field in the lobes, the lifetime of the source and the average bulk power of the jets over the lifetime of the source. I've actually done all of this...
  15. DaveC426913

    Looking for radio control components - wireless stepper motors

    I'm ready to begin proof of concept experiments on the Mk IV Tesseract, following on the limited success of https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=205845" What I need is a motor that - is reasonably compact (we're talking <2 centimeters) though weight is not a factor - can be...
  16. G

    Can You Build a Crystal Radio with an Electro Magnet and Germanium Diode?

    I am new to this website but I would like to know how to build a homemade radio using an electro magnet and a germanium diode crystal. Are ther any other components required to complete the construction of the radio?
  17. 3

    Win32 Radio Button Code for Visual C++ | No MFC

    Hello I have googled to no avail. I am after the code to retrieve if a radio box is checked or not in Visual C++. I am not using MFC which all of the tutorial on the internet do. Any ideas? A few pointers in the right direction possibly?
  18. L

    Bringing an Old Robot Radio to Life: Building an AM/FM Receiver

    Hey PF, I want to resurrect an old robot radio I have sitting around. What exactly is involved with building an AM/FM receiver?
  19. D

    Energy conversions - wind up radio

    Homework Statement (a) The wind-up radio is a wonderful example of the process of energy transformation from one type to another. The radio is operated as follows: (i) The user turns a handle that winds a metal spring onto a spool. (ii) The metal spring then unwinds slowly, through a...
  20. S

    Is Cranking Speed or Duration More Effective for Charging a Hand-Cranked Radio?

    hand cranked radio question (ignore - figured out) Your two friends argued whether they should crank more cycles (e.g. 180 cycles in 1 minute) or longer time (e.g. 180 cycles in 2 minutes) to efficiently charge the internal batteries. They couldn't conclude with their knowledge and decided to...
  21. T

    Radio Telescope Resolution - Centaurus A

    Problem: Centaurus A is 15 million light years away and a radio telescope can resolve structures of 1s of arc across. Show that the Structure is 75 light years across. Please Help!
  22. V

    Nuclear physics and radio activity

    One isotope (X) contains an equal number of protons and neutrons. Another isotope (Y) of the same element has twice the number of neutrons as the first isotope does. Determine the ratio rY/rX of the nuclear radii of the isotopes.
  23. G

    Distance of hearing a radio station

    Homework Statement A radio station is allowed to broadcast at an average power not to exceed 24 kW. If an electric field amplitude of 2.6×10−2 V/m is considered to be acceptable for receiving the radio transmission, estimate how many kilometers away you might be able to hear this station...
  24. E

    I with improving my AM radio reception

    I have been reading about Tesla and dipole senders. A dipole sender is like a long pole with sends out a signal at both ends. Tesla sometimes grounded his radio dipole senders so that one sending dipole was a ground. Likewise, he grounded his radio receivers. I live in the mountains and get...
  25. D

    Scientist makes radio waves travel faster than light

    Link: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/HealthandScience/LANL_scientist_makes_radio_waves_travel_faster_than_light Is this true ? Can radio waves or light really be send faster than light using a rapidly spinning magnetic field ? Sorry if there already was a thread about this, I couldn't...
  26. H

    The radio of a triangle inside circle

    Homework Statement Greetings I 'd really appreciate some help with this problem thanks a lot in advance. Find the radio of an equilateral triangle if it is inside a circle, and if a side of the triangle has a length of 24. Homework Equations I had to use a right triangle of the form...
  27. B

    Radio sounds come out earlier than TV's

    When hearing the same sound coming out from a Radio and a TV simultaneously (e.g., when a channel is beeing broadcasted on the radio and on TV at the same time), the radio sound precedes the sound coming out of the TV. The phenomenon is quite noticeable. The reason for this must be...
  28. S

    Details of how electricity and radio work

    I've been doing some work with amateur radio recently, and realized that I don't have an adequate detailed, low-level understanding of the basic physics behind exactly how electricity and radio work. My background is in math, chemistry, biology and the physics of "medium sized" objects (orbital...
  29. S

    Stargazing Is a Radio Telescope Less Sensitive on the Galactic Plane?

    Is a radio telescope less sensitive on the galactic plane? If so, why? /San
  30. L

    Removing '98 Kia Sportage Car Radio

    Hello, I have a '98 kia sportage and recently the radio has been acting up. It works sometimes, and other times, i am left with nothing but static. It seems to work a lot more often when it is hot out, but just the fact that it works, then doesn't, makes me think that maybe something is loose...
  31. G

    Double-slit experiment with radio towers

    Homework Statement Two shortwave radio antennas broadcast identical, in-phase signals at the same frequency. The transmitters are 176.0 m north, and 176.0 m south of Western Ave, respectively, as shown (that is, they are separated by 352.0 m). Western Ave is 452.0 m long. Starting at the end...
  32. S

    Understanding the Inner Workings of a Radio: Antenna and Receiver Explained

    How does the antenna and receiver on a radio turn electromagnetic radio waves into sound?
  33. mtworkowski@o

    Optimizing Radio Reception: Trimming Antennas for Modern Cars

    Both my and my wife's car are fairly new. Yet the radios are very bad. In the old days there was some adjustment that could be made called trimming. Does anybody know if there is a procedure for optimizing on todays radios? AM.
  34. G

    Remove 1170 KHz AM radio station from microphones

    Hi. I work for a security company and we currently have a challenge. How do I remove a 1170 KHz AM radio station from my 8 microphones that are installed with 2 Conductor shielded, 22 gauge with a 24 gauge drain wire with lengths ranging from 15 - 250 feet from my server room? The radio...
  35. M

    Why do my speakers pick up radio stations?

    I get random radio broadcasts coming from my logitech speakers when they are turned on but with no volume. Why is this?
  36. G01

    Music Adaptive Internet Radio: Discover Music with Pandora

    Anyone ever hear of or use Pandora? www.pandora.com Basically, it's an internet radio website where you input the name of a song or band you like. It will then play that song or a song from that band. After that it will pick other songs, many from other bands, that it thinks you will...
  37. P

    Wave Theory Explains Radio Tower Collapse & Prevention Strategies

    A certain radio tower was stabilized at the top with guy wires, and at the bottom with a concrete foundation. So, it was stable at the bottom and at the top. In windstorms, it wobbled violently in the middle. Eventually the tower collapsed. Using wave theory, explain why this happened and...
  38. rootX

    Delilah Radio Show: Listen & Enjoy Her Voice

    Anyone else listens to her? http://www.radiodelilah.com/home/home.html Her voice is so seductive! Do you know any other good radio shows I like John Tesh (http://www.tesh.com/) and there's one other who talk about ancient ghostly stories ..
  39. D

    How software defined radio differs from traditional one

    Hi, all. Im new to telecommunication field. I have a few questions. Hope you can help me. First, I am not clear how digital signal processing works. My understanding is: baseband frequency is modulated as high frequency on a device. Such device sends the signal to another device, which...
  40. A

    Radio waves are electromagnetic.Right?

    Radio waves are electromagnetic.Right?? "Phoenix was on track for anticipated entry into the atmosphere at 4:30p.m. Pacific Time and reaching the surface at 4:38 p.m., although confirmation of those events comes no sooner than 15 minutes, 20 seconds later, due to the time needed for radio...
  41. B

    Triagulating radio frequencies

    I was just thinking the other day about how they triangulate on radio frequencies. Imagine an illegal fm broadcast they are trying to find. From thought (not necessarily right), they would have 3 vehicles with receivers that would form a triangle and depending on angles and the time it takes...
  42. K

    Reception of distant FM radio broadcasts

    1. An aluminum airplane is flying west, parallel to the ground, at 350 m/s. The Earth's magnetic field produces a downward component of 8.30 x10-5 T at that point. For the purposes of this question, treat the wing as if it was a conducting rod. a) What is the magnitude of the potential...
  43. C

    Photons per second from a radio transmitter

    Homework Statement A radio transmitter radiates at the power of 10 kW at a wavelength of 100 m. How many photons does it emit per second? Homework Equations E=hv, and some other equations of beginnings of wave mechanics. The Attempt at a Solution I had no idea where to start.Please do not...
  44. R

    Horn Antenna Radio Interferometer

    This is a strange experiment (or not so compared to some of the experiments I've done) that I am currently undertaking, and require your help. I have built an interferometer of sorts. Two metal funnels of diameter 200mm are attached together by copper tubing (20mm?) through a Y junction with...
  45. M

    Radio Contolled Helicopters Concept

    Radio Contolled Helicopters Concept! Hi guys does anybody know concepts behind the Fixed pitch Radio heli principle Thnx a lot in advance
  46. rohanprabhu

    Could a Metallic Fridge Affect Radio Waves?

    I have a small portable FM receiver on which I listen to radio sometimes. I have it kept on top of my fridge. Today morning, I noticed a strange thing happening: When I opened the door of the fridge, the volume went really low. And when I closed it again, the volume went up. I did it 4-5 times...
  47. K

    Radio Transmission: Jupiter-Earth Time for Response

    Suppose some astronauts have landed on Jupiter. (a) When Jupiter and Earth are on the same side of the Sun and as close as they can be to one another, how long does it take for radio transmissions to travel one way between the two planets? Suppose the astronauts ask a question of...
  48. B

    NMR: what is the area under the curve of the radio transmitter?

    Using two pernament magnets, a transmitter coil and a pickup coil, we applied a match filter to find the resonant frequency (our sample was wrapped in the pickup coil with the trasmitter stationary wrt it: the magnets are the round type, ceramic I think). Using this frequency we can map the...
  49. A

    Quantum Non-Locality Subspace Radio

    http://www.mjyoung.net/misc/quantum.htm read this and tell me if it works or if its a crock, it sounds good, but all I've had is high school Physics
  50. J

    Comparing Radio and Light Waves: Is EM Radiation Misleading?

    As I've been studying up on EM radiation, I've come to the conclusion that radio and light waves are not the same thing. Radio seems to be nothing other than a continuously flipping magnetic field (source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/radio/radiowaves.html). In this way, there do not seem...
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