Radio waves are used in the following areas of ATC
Voice Communication VHF/ UHF
Navigation VOR /NDB
Surveillance systems
Weather radar
Data transmission
According to Ampère’s law, an
electric current produces:
a magnetic field perpendicular to the
flow direction
Radio waves are a form of:
electromagnetic energy
that are similar in behaviour to light waves
What is the speed of light?
300,000,000 meters per second (c)
Radio waves are capable of:
passing through a vacuum
Travel in straight lines (generally)
Invisible
Intangible (Can’t touch it)
Inaudible without specialist equipment
What is Audio?
These movements of air make the eardrum
vibrate and mimic the air which is moving, thus
the receiving person hears the propagated tone
Why is Audio limited in range?
how loud one can speak and absorption by materials within its range.
How do we overcome absorbtion?
very high
frequencies are used which can be propagated
over large distances, but are not within the
audio spectrum
What is osscilation?
how a wave changes from a
maximum to a minimum. Shown as a sine
wave.
What is amplitude?
“The maximum displacement or value attained
by the wave from it’s mean value during a cycle”
Wavelength
The distance in meters or part of a meter between
corresponding points in consecutive waves
Scientifically represented by lambda
Frequency
“The rate of repetition of the cycle in one second
where one cycle per second is known as one Hertz.”
Hertz numbers
Kilohertz (KHz) - where 1 KHz = 1,000Hz
Megahertz (MHz)- where 1 Mhz = 1,000,000Hz
Gigahertz (GHz) - where 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000Hz
Velocity definition
“The speed in a given direction.”
Velocity of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is?
a constant 300,000,000
meters per second
Velocity =
frequency x wavelength
“The Local Oscillator”
A Carrier Wave is an electro-magnetic wave which can be modulated (varied) and is produced by a device
carrier wave is modulated (varied) in direct proportion to…
the signal that is to be transmitted
modulation can change either:
the amplitude or the frequency of the carrier wave.
How does modulation work?
The audio signal is fed into a Modulator, which
combines the carrier wave with the audio wave.
AM-
amplitude modulation
FM-
frequency modulation
Advantages of FM:
Resilience to noise
easy to apply modulation at low power
use of efficient RF amplifiers
Advantages of AM:
Stronger stations can override weaker
Control tower can “talk over”
heterodyne will be heard