It is expect that nearly every household in the United States has at least one radio. The invention of the radio was dependent upon two previous discoveries: the electromagnet and telegraph.
The electromagnet was discovered in 1825. This discovery opened the doors to global communication! Five years later, Joseph Henry successfully transmitted an electric current via wire which was stretched over a mile and which caused an electromagnet to trigger the sounding of a bell. Thus, the electric telegraph was born. One of the most recognizable names associated with the telegraph is Samuel Morse who is most notable for the series of dots (brief sound) and dashes (more sustained sound) which was used to transmit messages by alphabet code (thus known as Morse Code). Telegraph became the sole means of rapid long distance communication until 1877 and the invention of the telephone.
Batteries are interesting, aren’t they? Used by the general consumer, they are small, but powerfully packed instruments which produce power used for many cameras, alarm clocks, radios, and other devices. What makes this power production possible? In the case of the telephone and it’s early design and use, batteries produced the essential source of power for the electromagnet.
Batteries have two ends to which one is assigned a + or positive, and the other a - or negative. When a battery operated device is switched on, the electrons which are produced by the batteries, quickly move from the negative side to the positive side of the batteries. Something was needed to interrupt this rapid flow of electrons or find the batteries totally expended in a brief time. In order to accomplish this, a wire is often inserted between the positive and negative terminals and a load, such as a radio, creating a small magnetic field in the wire. The electromagnetic waves which are present now, have the capability to transmit sounds (speech, music, and so on) as well as visual images undetected by sight through the air.
There are several scientists who must be mentioned as essential to the telephone as it is known to most of us. Mahlon Loomis created wireless telegraph. Guglielmo Marconi, proved the possibility of radio communication. In 1985 Marconi, transmitted and received a radio signal. Using the Morse alphabet, he sent the first wireless signal which was transmitted across the English Channel and in due time, he was able to receive the Morse letter S which began in England and reached Newfoundland which became the beginning of transatlantic radiotelegraphy (1902).
Wireless signals gained far reaching use as a means of communication for rescue work when an accident or disaster occurred at sea. In 1899 the United States Army began utilize wireless communication which originated from a lightship off Fire Island. The US Navy was about two years behind the Army in utilizing wireless telegraphy.
In 1903, President Roosevelt (Theodore) and King Edward VII communicated via this new and improving technology. The well known Robert Perry, using radiotelegraphy, conveyed the message that he had found the Pole.
The first AM radio entered the world of telecommunication in the early 1900’s. This device made the use of somewhat weak waves possible for communication. This was the time when the term radio, as we know today for radio devices, began to be used.
It is believed that in December 23, 1900, professor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden was the first person to successfully transmit human voice by radio waves. By 1915, speech was first sent across the United States beginning in New York City and sent to San Francisco. Somewhat later, transmission occurred across the Atlantic Ocean from Arlington, Virginia, to Paris at the Eiffel Tower.
It is truly fascinating all the scientists and the physics theories that led to the invention of the radio. Marconi, Alexander Popov, Oliver Lodge, Fessenden and many others, have all made important contributions to an invention that made the world so different, that most likely none of them would envision. The radio era was born.
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Are you looking for a less that politically correct talk radio. One in which no subject is off limits? One, which dives into phenomena, challenges the scientists, academic theories and is not afraid to debunk or confirm conspiracy theories? How about a radio show, which discusses weather control, Bird Flu, oil price manipulation, secret military projects, mythology, Earth cycles and even ghosts?
Well, radio listening fans there is such a show on the radio and it is Coast-to-Coast Am with radio legends George Noory and on the weekend Art Bell. Two gentleman un-afraid of the dark willing to go our on a limb and talk about the coming super storms, volcanic SuperPlumes, UFOs, human mind control and ancient civilizations, cultures and customs.
Indeed this radio show is called Coast to Coast by it is really a Seven Seas and five continent endeavor with listeners literally around the globe and it is not uncommon for callers to call in from Singapore, Japan, Australia or Guam. Coast to Coast has 13 million listeners with open minds willing to discuss Gods, Religion, Aliens, Agnostic Beliefs and even friendly witches.
It is a show that makes you think. Some of the shows are quite scary indeed as callers often call in with stories of seeing the light and near death experiences or getting messages from beyond the grave. In fact the Coast to Coast Halloween Special does just that and more as they listen to ghost chasers and real ghost stories tell their tales.
The show often hosts prominent scientists, meteorologists, archeologists, climatologists and more. They have storm chasers, ghost busters, ancient history explorers and future predictors. The have Shamans, psychics, dream interpreters, occult experts and collective consciousness researchers. Not a week goes by with the interview of a famous author in any one of several hundred interesting, fascinating and sometimes horrific subject matters.
All the cool people listen to Coast to Coast Am, ask your friends about, they will tell you. It is even on XM radio on the “Ask” station and with affiliates around the globe, you can find them on your radio dial. But beware, there are subjects that can be quite frightful along with the scientific discovery discussions about every possible subject known to mankind. On Coast to Coast they hear you loud and clear. Think on this and thanks for listening.
Communication is an important part of every human activity at present. Whether it is a recreational outdoor activity or a social gathering or even other group occasion involving a number of participants, the need for disseminating information and connecting the awareness of each individual is important to the success and even safety of all. For this concern, an effective and reliable communication medium is highly important.
Consider for example a group recreational activity of outdoor hiking. In this particular event, communication measure is important between the group involved and the organizer or management committee to ensure the safety of every participant ensuring that they are in the planned route or that important information are relayed immediately to guide the decision and actions of the group. In this activity likewise, there is the tendency for the participants to separate at some point as such, communication between each group is important to note their individual action and the occurrences as they partake in the said event.
For such necessity, communication measure is important and the solution to such event comes in the form of the modern age long range walkie talkie. The long range walkie talkie are considered the epitome for radio technology development giving its users the luxury of wider range for communication with better sound quality and the benefits of its other functionalities for convenience and reliability. Designed both for indoor and outdoor usage, the long range walkie talkie offers unmatched communication functionality enable users to communicate and relay information with ease and comfort for the success of their need.
The long range walkie talkies are made to cater various communication needs for different situations through its different modularity and designs. Most common to these kinds are those made based on a half-duplex channel system (with one radio transmitting at a time though with numerous listening channel) and those with push-talk transmission system (P.T.T; containing a switch to start transmission). All models and designs of these modern long range walkie talkies though are built with expansive radio transmission and reception system given wider radius field of signal proving effective for communication necessities. Made for various necessities and usage, most long range walkie talkies are now made to suit personal and recreational usage. Its sleek designs, easy to use system, and wide array of functions aside from its made radio transmission device make these gadgets a must have for every individual.
So next time you are planning a social event or an outdoor recreational activity, these modern long range walkie talkies would surely ensure both success and safety for your event.
Your standard amateur radio is a transmitter and a receiver, usually bought as one piece of equipment, called a transceiver. Most new equipment is quite advanced, and takes some time getting used to. Some hams, particularly old timers, prefer the old analog transceivers that have knobs and needle meters instead of digital readouts. Amateur radio enthusiasts use different kinds of equipment for communication. Some use base stations, some use handheld radios. Some use systems installed in vehicles. Depending on your interests in ham radio, you may want to try all different kinds of stations.
The ham radio can fit in your pocket, or take up all the space in your garage, or sit in your car- it’s all up to you, and it is important to work out what interests you have. Many new operators start off with tiny handhelds, and work their way up to huge shortwave installations on the countryside. Many are on a very restricted budget, and may join a ham society to get access to equipment. Ham radio clubs have a lot to offer, including meetings, equipment such as transceivers, antennas and books. These clubs exist almost all over the world, and are usually well known in the local community.
If you want professional transceivers for business use, with or without license, there are lots of hand held sets at a good sale price for good quality. You’ll find products of all the popular brands, such as Icom, Kenwood, Motorola, some electronics tuned out-of-band for ham club activities, some all the way between 137-174 mHz and around the 70cms band. There are new outlet listings every day of new and used HF rigs, marine radio, air band & VHF UHF scanners and software. There’s even a CB section for the rest!
Radio is probably one of the most popular free services. We can listen to it just everywhere. At home, at work, in the bus, in the car, while we walk, etc. With the term “radio” we usually mean a sound service that we can receive and is usually free, without any subscription or expensive equipment. With radio you also get free music. You can listen to it while working or you can relax and enjoy listening to your favorite band. There are many ways to get such free sound service. Each has some advantages and disadvantages but the fact is that the old FM radio as we know it is far the most widely used broadcasting service.
You can listen to radio stations that are broadcasting over internet. This service is still free, but you need access to the internet and a computer. There are also some devices (network players) that support internet broadcasting, but you still need access to the internet, either wireless (WiFi) or over local network. The advantage of internet broadcasting is that there are thousands of stations so it easy, at least in theory, to find a station that plays music according to your taste. Cable and IPTV systems also offer radio stations but this is limited to the place where you have the connection.
Satellites also offer a lot of radio stations. But to receive satellite stations you need a satellite receiver, so this type of reception is only suitable for home listening. There are also mobile satellite radio services, but in general they are not free. You have to pay a subscription. Despite the fact that satellite services are cheap and you get large coverage areas, this type of broadcasting is not suitable for general reception. Satellites do offer a huge choice of stations, but the receiving equipment is pretty complex.
Therefore, terrestrial broadcasting is the most popular platform for radio. While AM broadcasting is still used in some countries, mainly for international broadcasting, it is the FM radio that we can find it on every corner. There are many reasons for its popularity. It is free, you only need a simple and cheap receiver. Receivers are now integrated also into mobile phones, MP3 players and many other devices. The quality of FM (frequency modulation) is very high. With quality stereo reception and some high-end receiver you get superb sound quality comparable to vinyl records.
Because of many advantages of terrestrial broadcasting there are many stations interested in using this media. Of course, the radio-frequency spectrum is a limited resource and only a small fraction of the whole spectrum is allocated to broadcasting. Therefore, we can fit only a limited number of stations into this band. In addition to this, to prevent harmful interferences there are many strict rules on frequency planning which further limit the number of possible radio stations that we can receive.
But despite all the disadvantages and limitations the FM radio will be used for many years to come. Interestingly, there is still no comparable digital broadcasting system that could replace the old analog radio.