What enables wireless transmission?

current

Microphone
time

Sound waves
Transmitter
(Electronic
Equipment)

Audio signal

4000 Hz

frequency
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What enables wireless transmission? (2)

The information signal (e.g. audio) is in the form of a
current (or voltage) waveform flowing through a
conductor
How do we get this information signal across a medium
that employs NO conductors?
Efficiently?
Over reasonable distances?

Answer: Electromagnetic waves!

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Electromagnetic spectrum

Millimeter waves
(EHF)

Radio spectrum

1 cm

Super high frequency

(SHF)
10 cm

Experimental
Navigation
Satellite to Satellite
Microwave relay
Earth-satellite
Radar
Mobile Radio

Ultra high frequency

(UHF)
1m

Very high frequency

(VHF)

100 GHz

10 GHz

Microwave
Radio
Line-of-sight (LOS)
propagation

1 GHz
UHF TV and mobile radio
Mobile, aeronautical
VHF TV and FM broadcast
Mobile radio

100 MHz

Shortwave
Radio

10 m

High frequency
(HF)
100 m

Medium frequency
(MF)

Business
Amateur radio
International radio
Citizens band
AM broadcast

1 MHz

1 km

Low frequency
(LF)

Aeronautical
Navigation
Radio teletype

Sky wave
propagation

10 MHz

100 kHz

Longwave
Radio

Ground wave
propagation

10 km

Very low frequency

(VLF)

10 kHz

100 km

Audio band
1 kHz

Radio Spectrum (2)

Mode of propagation is dependent on frequency
Ground wave
Sky wave (ionospheric propagation)
Line-of-sight propagation

Propagation conditions are heavily dependent on

frequency

Free space path loss (inverse square law)

Absorption atmosphere (e.g. water vapour, atmosphere)
Absorption - vegetation
Reflection, refraction, diffraction
Fading due to multipath
Environmental clutter

Bandwidth
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Spectrum allocation and assignment

International Telecommunication Union
Radiocommunication sector (ITU-RS)
Regional radio conference (RRC)
World radio conference (WRC)
Table of Frequency Allocations

National spectrum management authorities

Assign spectrum to service providers, network operators
Police the use of the spectrum

RF channels
An example: Television broadcasting

Modulation
It is the process by which a signal is translated to another part of
the spectrum
As seen before, the actual spectrum location is dependent on

Nature of the application

Propagation characteristics of that part of the spectrum
Spectrum allocation/management authorities
Antenna size

Analog modulation techniques

Amplitude modulation
Angle modulation (i.e. frequency modulation (FM), phase modulation
(PM)
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Modulation

Information signal

Modulation

Example: amplitude modulated signal

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Antennas
An alternating current in a conductor produces
An alternating electric field
An alternating magnetic field

Carr, Joseph J. 2001. Antenna Toolkit. 2nd ed. Newnes

11

Antennas (2)

The antenna converts electrical energy into electromagnetic energy (

it is a transducer)
Energy is radiated in all directions
Depending on the antenna design, more energy may be radiated in
some directions than in others
For efficient radiation antennas should be at least 1/10 of the
wavelength of the e.m. wave
Baseband signals are low frequency (slow varying) signals. They will
require very long (impractical) antennas

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Antennas (3)

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Antennas (5)

60 cm
DirecTV

1.8 m
Log Periodic Yagi Antenna,
http://www.zcg.com.au/log-periodic-yagi-base-station-antennas.htm

26 24 cm
NetGear ANT24D18 ProSafe Wireless LAN Antenna
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Antennas (6)
Samsung Galaxy S
2.6 GHz WiMAX Tx/Rx Antenna
2.6 GHz WiMAX Antenna Rx Only (as a
diversity antenna)
WiFi/Bluetooth Tx/Rx Antenna
Cell/PCS CDMA/EVDO Tx/Rx Antenna
Cell/PCS CDMA/EVDO Rx Only (as a diversity
antenna)
GPS Antenna Rx Only

http://www.raymaps.com/index.php/antennas-on-samsung-galaxy-s/

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Electromagnetic waves

E y Emax cost x V m

H z H max cost x A m

v p f

Hz

Ey

Polarization (Vertical, Horizontal)

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Electromagnetic waves(2)
Spatial domain

Time domain

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Propagation

http://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/hellschreiber-performance.htm

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Propagation (2)

http://mysite.verizon.net/k3nco/prop.htm

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