Radio waves are electromagnetic waves that can range in length from millimeters to over 100,000 km, making them one of the largest types of waves. They are used to transmit signals for radio, television, mobile phones, and other technologies. Radio waves are transmitted through antennas and received by antennas, where a tuner selects the desired frequency. Mobile phones also emit low levels of radio frequency radiation when in use. Television has transitioned from using antennas to receive radio wave signals to digital transmission of signals through networks.

1. Radio Waves in Media Technology
other than radio broadcasting
Elsbeth Guthrie P1125496X
Studies in Media Technology

2. What are Radio Waves?
Radio Waves are longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Radio waves range in length from very small (A millimeter) to very big
(100,000 km) this makes it one of the biggest ranges of waves on the
electromagnetic spectrum.
However they bring a lot more than just your music to your radio they can
also be used for mobile phone and TV’s and all forms of electromagnetic
radiation as long as the frequency is above 300 GHz and the wave is bigger
than a millimeter.

3. How do they work?
• Radio waves work by transmitting the signal to you radio, TV
or phone. The antenna of the radio is an important part for
this process to work. The antenna picks up the signal or
wave being transmitted to the radio. This is a small thin
piece of wire that the transmitted wave interact with.
• However the tuner is another important part for the
radio waves to actually work and you get some
entertainment from it. The tuner separates the sine
waves from all the thousands of other waves that
the antenna picks up. It then amplifies the
frequency ignoring all the other frequencies so you
can get what you want from your radio, TV or
phone.

4. Radio Waves in Mobile Phones
• Old phones used to have antenna’s on the top of them so they
could be used and call people around the world from the
signal being picked up through the antenna.
• However, nowadays mobile phones use a cellular system
instead which means it uses frequencies this is the same
method as a radio transmitting sounds to an audience. Both
of which use radio waves to do what they need to.
• I.E. For radio it’s transmitting music to a listening audience.
For mobile phone’s it could be sending an email, text or using
internet.

5. Radio Waves in Mobile Phones
• Mobile phones also emit a small amount of electromagnetic
radiation. Mobile phone emit signals through radio
waves, which are made up of RF or a radio frequency energy
which is a type of electromagnetic radiation.
• Because of this there is an issue about whether the
radiation emitted is causing health problems or not.
• People on their phones a lot and keeping it up to their
ear would have the radiation near their head a lot of
the time which could cause health problems. There
are small short term solutions to this though; hands
free, mobile phone ear pieces and ear phones and
putting it too speaker.

6. Radio Waves In TV
• Radio waves used to be used in TV when TV’s had antenna’s on
the top of them or satellite dishes on the top of the house. The
process for this is the same as for the radio and the mobile
phones when they had antenna’s on them.
• After technology progressed and
antenna’s were taken off the television’s
it became analogue TV. This broadcasts
an encoded analogue audio and
analogue video signal. This shows the
broadcast signal on the TV which is a
function of amplitude or frequency. Both
of which use radio waves.

7. Radio Waves In TV
• After the digital switchover, between years 2008 and
2012, gets rid of analogue TV and all TV’s became digital using
free view without a satellite dish but using an aerial instead.
This still uses electromagnetic spectrum.
• However for Sky TV they still use a
satellite this is because there are
different frequencies for this type
of TV. This is because they are
encrypted so you need to pay a
fee to watch the channels.

8. Bibliography
• Radio Wave Length Picture:
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/osradtraining/radiationproperties/rad
iationproperties.htm
• http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/radio.html
• http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-radio-waves.htm
• http://www.howstuffworks.com/radio8.htm
• http://www.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation.htm
• http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone1.htm
• http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/propertymanagers/carrying_out_work/technic
al_information/will_relay_transmitters_transmit_digital_tv_signals_after_
switchover