Day 7
Oscillator
A circuit that generates a signal at a specific frequency. Visualize a sign wave with it’s up and down and up and down pattern. An oscillator is a circuit whose output will oscillate between the upper and lower limits of that sine wave at a steady rate. Related: This steady rate is what we call the signal’s frequency.
Modulation
Encoding information into a radio wave by combining waveforms to vary one ore more properties of the carrier signal. To send voice over a radio, for example, the speech is combined with an RF carrier signal.
Transceiver
Unlike the FM radio in a car, which can only receive radio signals, a Transceiver is a radio that can both transmit and receive.
PTT
Push To Talk (PTT) is a circuit that, when grounded, will switch a transceiver from receiving to transmitting. Often this is a button on a radio or microphone that the operate will hold down while they talk so that their voice will be transmitted by the radio until they let go of the button.
Sensitivity
The ability of a receiver to detect the presence of a signal. The better sensitivity a radio has, the better it will be at receiving signals, especially when the signal is week or buried by background noise.
Carrier SIgnal
A periodic waveform with a much higher frequency than the modulation signal. It serves as the medium for transmitting information. For example, in radio communication, the carrier wave is sent through space as a radio wave to a receiver.
Transverter
A device that converts the RF input and output of a transceiver to another band.
Mixer
A mixer is used to convert a signal from one frequency to another.
Selectivity
The ability of a receiver to discriminate, or select, between multiple signals.
RF Power Amplifier
A device that increases, or amplifies, the transmitted output power from a transceiver.