5
votes
1answer
64 views

Astronomical-wavelength radio (AWR) transmissions between cosmic plasmas?

My son asked me if electromagnetic waves longer than radio exist. I told him that even though physics permits such waves, there are no antennas long enough to radiate or detect them. However, on ...
2
votes
3answers
116 views

Radio antennas that are much shorter than the wavelength

From my limited experience with ham radio when I was a kid, I expect transmitting and receiving antennas to have lengths that are on the same order of magnitude as the wavelength, and in fact I recall ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views

The length of an antenna is twice the amplitude of the wave

I have seen it remarked in some problem sets that if you have an electromagnetic wave traveling in the $x$-direction with it's $y$-coordinate given as $y(x,t)=y_0\sin (\omega t +kx)$ and you want a ...
1
vote
0answers
29 views

Does shadow fading change if obstacles are fixed?

Given a RF sender and a receiver, suppose the obstacles between them are fixed, both their material and dielectric properties, does the path loss caused by their shadowing vary? If yes, what causes ...
0
votes
1answer
376 views

How do EM waves get detached from an antenna?

How does an electro-magnetic waves get detached from an antenna and spread to the space? While an antenna receives an EM wave, which quantity of the EM wave (electric or magnetic) is used for ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views

Getting a given wavelength radio signal given an antenna with real-world constraints

Supposing you are given a transmitting antenna of whatever type of metal is most commonly used these days, and supposing that you are applying an AC current with the intent of transmitting a 1 m ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views

Why is Near Field Communication (NFC) range limited to about 20cm?

Near Field Communication (NFC) operates at 13.56 MHz. Near Field is the region situated at a distance r << λ λ = c/f ...
3
votes
2answers
201 views

Radio communication and antennas

I'm trying to understand how an antenna is able to understand, but have a few quesions: I understand that for an antenna to distinguish between 2 (or more) signals, they have to be in different ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views

Wireless signal strength

My question is possibly somewhat misplaced, but I'll try to explain as best as I can. Suppose I have a transmitter with a frequency of 2500MHz and a power of 1W. It radiates uniformly in all ...
0
votes
0answers
114 views

Antenna Power and gain calculation [closed]

I have a wireless security related question, the second part confused me: Your wireless network usually has a range of 100 feet. However you are having a (confidential) meeting in a 10’ x 10’ x ...
1
vote
2answers
211 views

Quantum Mechanics- Antenna emitting electromagnetic radiation

Radio signals are being transmitted in a frequency of $ 8.4 \times 10^9 s^{-1} $ and being received by an antenne that is capable of receiveing power of $ 4 \times 10^{-21} watt $ ($ 1 watt = 1 J ...
1
vote
2answers
75 views

What is difference between the miltary radar in 1940's from commercial antenna that is for the use of TV

What is difference between the miltary radar in 1940's from commercial antenna that is for the use of TV? I have read article from some of the WW2 history website that call the German radar the ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views

Is this claim from historician true for physicist point of view?

"The original Naxos I had a vertically polarized antenna, with poor results as the British radars initially used horizontal polarisation. (This seems to have been a case of the German designers being ...
1
vote
2answers
350 views

How to capture electomagnetic radiation/waves?

If I wanted to find out what kind of electomagnetic waves "travel" through my room at which frequency, what kind of equipment would I need? Suppose I want to view frequencies from 0 Hz to 6 GHz.
1
vote
1answer
186 views

What are the optimal shapes, if any, for fractal antennae?

A DIY fractal antenna project is described at http://www.htpc-diy.com/2012/04/diy-flexible-fractal-window-hdtv.html Mainly idle curiosity, but I was wondering what the principles behind these might ...
2
votes
3answers
997 views

Some questions about car radio and cellphone antennas

1-Why the antenna of the radio of cars is located outside the car and not inside? 2-If the answer to 1 is because that cars are like Faraday cages then how come my cell phone can receive signal ...
3
votes
2answers
322 views

Near-field around parabolic antenna?

Having a discussion at work about the $H$-field around a big parabolic antenna. All of the safety tests done around the antenna only mention $E$-Field. They state in the radiating near-field the $E$ ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views

Adverse Health Effects of Strong Radio Waves

A while ago, I was hiking near the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles. When I got to the sign, I found out it was fenced off; with several signs and a security camera promising prompt enforcement. As I was ...
17
votes
3answers
2k views

Can I use an antenna as a light source?

Can I use a normal metal antenna to emit visible light?
2
votes
1answer
247 views

What is the effect of ice on an antenna?

A local FM radio station transmitting at 89.3 MHz recently announced that it would be running at 50% power due to freezing weather and a forecast of ice accumulation, as "when ice is forecast ... it ...