Uses of radio
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Many of radio's early uses were maritime, for sending telegraphic
messages using Morse code between ships and land. One of the
earliest users included the Japanese Navy scouting the Russian fleet
during the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. One of the most memorable
uses of marine telegraphy was during the sinking of the RMS Titanic
in 1912, including communications between operators on the sinking
ship and nearby vessels, and communications to shore stations
listing the survivors.
Radio was used to pass on orders and communications between armies
and navies on both sides in World War I; Germany used radio
communications for diplomatic messages once its submarine cables
were cut by the British. The United States passed on President
Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points to Germany via radio during the
war. |
Broadcasting began to become feasible in the 1920s, with the
widespread introduction of radio receivers, particularly in Europe
and the United States. Besides broadcasting, point-to-point
broadcasting, including telephone messages and relays of radio
programs, became widespread in the 1920s and 1930s.
Another use of radio in the pre-war years was the development of
detecting and locating aircraft and ships by the use of radar (RAdio
Detection And Ranging).
Today, radio takes many forms, including wireless networks, mobile
communications of all types, as well as radio broadcasting. Read
more about radio's history.
Before the advent of television, commercial radio broadcasts
included not only news and music, but dramas, comedies, variety
shows, and many other forms of entertainment. Radio was unique among
dramatic presentation that it used only sound. For more, see radio
programming.
Telephony
Cell phones transmit to a local cell transmitter/receiver site,
which connects to the public service telephone network through an
optic fiber or microwave radio. When the phone leaves the cell
radio's area, the central computer switches the phone to a new cell.
Cell phones originally used FM, but now most use various digital
encodings.
Satellite phones come in two types: INMARSAT and Iridium. Both types
provide world-wide coverage. INMARSAT uses geosynchronous
satellites, with aimed high-gain antennas on the vehicles. Iridium
provides cell phones, except the cells are satellites in orbit.
Video
Television sends the picture as AM, and the sound as FM, on the same
radio signal.
Digital television encodes three bits as eight strengths of AM
signal. The bits are sent out-of-order to reduce the effect of
bursts of radio noise. A Reed-Solomon error correction code lets the
receiver detect and correct errors in the data. Although any data
could be sent, the standard is to use MPEG-2 for video, and five
CD-quality (44.1 kHz) audio channels (center, left, right, left-back
and right back). With all this, it takes only half the bandwidth of
an analog TV signal because the video data is compressed.
Navigation
All satellite navigation systems use satellites with precision
clocks. The satellite transmits its position, and the time of the
transmission. The receiver listens to four satellites, and can
figure its position as being on a line that is tangent to a
spherical shell around each satellite, determined by the
time-of-flight of the radio signals from the satellite. A computer
in the receiver does the math.
Loran systems also used time-of-flight radio signals, but from radio
stations on the ground.
VOR systems (used by aircraft), have an antenna array that transmits
two signals simultaneously. A directional signal rotates like a
lighthouse at a fixed rate. When the directional signal is facing
north, an unidirectional signal pulses. By measuring the difference
in phase of these two signals, an aircraft can determine its bearing
from the station. An aircraft can get readings from two VORs, and
locate its position at the intersection of the two beams.
Radio direction-finding is the oldest form of radio navigation.
Before 1960 navigators used movable loop antennas to locate
commercial AM stations near cities. In some cases they used marine
radiolocation beacons, which share a range of frequencies just above
AM radio with amateur radio operators.
Radar
Radar detects things at a distance by bouncing radio waves off them.
The delay caused by the echo measures the distance. The direction of
the beam determines the direction of the reflection. The
polarization and frequency of the return can sense the type of
surface.
Navigational radars scan a wide area two to four times per minute.
They use very short waves that reflect from earth and stone. They
are common on commercial ships and long-distance commercial aircraft
General purpose radars generally use navigational radar frequencies,
but modulate and polarize the pulse so the receiver can determine
the type of surface of the reflector. The best general-purpose
radars distinguish the rain of heavy storms, as well as land and
vehicles. Some can superimpose sonar data and map data from GPS
position.
Search radars scan a wide area with pulses of short radio waves.
They usually scan the area two to four times a minute. Sometimes
search radars use the Doppler effect to separate moving vehicles
from clutter.
Targeting radars use the same principle as search radar but scan a
much smaller area far more often, usually several times a second or
more.
Weather radars resemble search radars, but use radio waves with
circular polarization and a wavelength to reflect from water
droplets. Some weather radar use the Doppler to measure wind speeds. |
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