Abstract
Wireless transmission of information over vast distances is one of the finest examples of Clarke’s third law, which states that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Even though a radio represents one of the most ingenious achievements of humankind and is now taken for granted; for the majority of the modern human population (including some of its highly educated members), this phenomenon still appears to be magical. This chapter introduces fundamental concepts in physics and engineering with the intention of preparing you for the material that follows; in return, that material is expected to reduce, if not completely remove, the “magic” part of the subject.
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Notes
- 1.
Hertz, H. (1888) Annalen der Physik 270(7):551–569.
- 2.
Indeed, as late as the 1920s, Tesla coils were used in commercial radio transmitters.
- 3.
US Patent 613809, November 8, 1898.
- 4.
US Patent 645576, applied for on September 3, 1897.
- 5.
US Supreme Court (1943) “Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. of America v. United States”. 320 US 1. Nos. 369, 373, April 9–12.
- 6.
US Patent 1113149, October 6, 1914.
- 7.
ε0 is measured through capacitance and dimension of the capacitor (1.12).
- 8.
In radio terminology, “range” means the distance that a waveform can travel. A range of frequencies is referred to as a “band” or “bandwidth”.
- 9.
See Fig. 2.6.
- 10.
The correct term should be velocity, but most books (wrongly) use the speed instead.
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Sobot, R. (2012). Introduction. In: Wireless Communication Electronics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1117-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1117-8_1
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